Month: March 2007

The 1st annual sitting of the Association of Armenia’s Mortgage Market

Arminfo
2007-03-23 16:51:00

The Association of Mortgage Market Participants of Armenia (AMMPA)
held the 1st annual sitting today. Among the discussed topics are:
aspects of development of the mortgage market, annual achievements of
the Association and the future strategies of its activities.

Ashot Osipyan, Chair of the annual sitting, pointed out that market
participants implemented the minimal standards of mortgage quality and
added to experience of joint work between the participants. "If
previously banks and crediting organizations used to interpret
mortgaging differently, now at least the minimal standards for the
participants of the market are set up and a concrete "crediting
culture" is practiced," A. Osipyan said. He added that a joint
mortgage portfolio for 2006 added up 120% – that is too small a number
if compared to rates of the developed states and its share in the
gross domestic product (GDP).

Touching upon the future strategy of the Association A. Osipyan said
that AMMPA is actively participating in establishment of legislation
for the secondary market of mortgaging, as it is a key source for
establishment of necessary long-term resources developing the
market. "The standards of mortgage crediting are to be perfected. New
mortgage instruments are to be set up and professionals in the field
should havr advanced training," he stressed.

Claims of BTA InvestBank and Orran realtor for integration into AMMPA
were met at the sitting. And so, the amount of member-banks reached
10, realtors – 3. On the whole there are 10 commercial banks
within the Association: Armeconombank, Armenian Bank of Development,
Unibank, Areximbank, Armswissbank, INECOBANK, Armbusinessbank, Bank
Ararat, ITB Bank, BTA InvestBAnk, 3 universal crediting organizations
– Washington Capital, The First Mortgage Company and Nor Horizon, 2
insurance companies – Sil Insurance, Nairi Insurance and Prime
Insurance Brokers, and 3 real estate agencies – Alta VIP, M&M
and Orran.

Participants of the sitting were: Representative of Central Bank
Tigran Sargsyan, Head of the State Committee of Real Estate Cadastre
Manuk Vardanyan, Representative of Deutsche bank KfW Karapet
Gevorgyan, Representatives of – European Bank of Reconstruction and
Development, IFC, USAID, ACRA crediting bureau and other.

Windows XP available in Armenian version

Arminfo
2007-03-23 20:50:00

Under the auspices of the Armenian representative office of Microsoft
and the Armenian Government, BI LINE company finished the Armenian
localization of the Windows XP popular operation system and presented
it to journalists, Friday.

BI LINE’s President Hayk Khanjyan noted that the first experiment
turned out to be very hard for programmers: not only specialists but
also common ci tizens were involved in the work. "We had to invent new
terms, search for semantic analogues, and revive forgotten words from
Old Armenian," H.Khanjyan said. However, users may come across
questionable terms in the localized version, and the programmers are
ready to take into consideration all the offers of the users. Besides,
the programmers had to invent a new Armenian font – Tahoma Armenian,
as the Sylfaen font used by Microsoft was not suitable for screen
using.

According to Grigor Barseghyan, a Microsoft representative in Armenia,
the system’s translation into national languages contributed to
developing the IT-sphere and raising the social level of society in
various countries. Besides, localization will make computer
technologies available for the Armenian citizens who do not know
foreign languages, and contribute to the spread of computer
technologies in the general education sphere. At the moment, the
Windows – Vista and the Office 2007 package programs are being
localized, and Microsoft provides the programmers with appropriate
instruments for localization.

In his turn, Armen Grigoryan, a representative of the Armenian
Government, said that the executive power emphasizes the importance of
localization and noted that the Government is willing to assist
localization of other programs, too. Microsoft’s programs are the most
popular in Armenia, therefore they were the first to be localized,
Grigoryan noted.

The Armenification program is spread free of charge and it may also be
downloaded. However, only licence software can be localized.
According to G.Barseghyan, only 5% of Armenian users have licence
software.

Controversy over cross grows amid church’s reopening

Arminfo
2007-03-23 20:40:00

In advance of the opening of the newly restored Armenian Akhtamar
Church on Lake Van, a new controversy has emerged in Ankara over
whether or not the church’s steeple should have a metal cross placed
on it, reports Zaman daily (Turkey).

Akhtamar Church has undergone restoration that was undertaken at the
behest of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Minister of Culture
and Tourism Atilla Koc. The church will be reopened to the public at a
special ceremony on March 29.

Meanwhile, Patriarch Mesrob II, the spiritual leader of the Armenian
Orthodox community in Turkey, has sent a written request to the
Culture and Tourism Ministry asking that a cross, prepared by the
Armenian Patriarchate itself, be placed on the steeple of the Akhtamar
Church. The sentiments in the letter from Partriarch Mesrob are echoed
in a similar letter sent by a group of Armenian intellectuals and
artists to the ministry.

With no answer yet forthcoming regarding what is to be done about the
cross, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has reportedly sent letters
to the Foreign Ministry to obtain further views on the matter. Whether
or not the cross will be placed atop Akhtamar Church in advance of the
March 29 opening appears to depend on the views on this matter
expressed by authorities at the Foreign Ministry.

While the Ministry of Culture and Tourism intends for the
1,100-year-old church on Lake Van’s Akhtamar Island to be opened to
the public as a "museum," the Armenian community is pressing for the
church to be available for religious services. On the subject of the
placement of the metal cross atop the church, Patriarch Mesrob
references past photographs of the historical church as the reason why
the ministry should allow the cross to be placed there.

"A cross can be clearly seen on the steeple of the church in all old
photographs of it." The official name of the church also arises in the
content of Mesrob’s letter, with the patriarch referring to the church
as " Lake Van’s Agtamar Island Surp Hac Armenian Church."

Within this framework, the Armenian patriarch also suggests that
annual September Sacred Cross Festival be called the Agtamar Festival,
noting that this would have the additional advantage of drawing local
and foreign tourists to the area, with choral groups from Istanbul and
folkloric dancers from Van adding to the content of the festival.

The patriarch’s letter also focuses on the possible religious services
that might take place at Akhtamar Church during the Sacred Cross
Festival, explaining, "There could be a religious service in the
church’s old nave, followed by choral groups and folklore groups."

Patriarch Mesrob’s letter ends by noting that he is "praying to dear
Allah for the continued success" of the ministry’s restoration
efforts. In a separate letter on the subject, a group of Armenian
intellectuals and artists request that Akhtamar Church, which they
refer to as "Ahdamar Church," be turned over permanently to the
Armenian community in Turkey. They also note that a cross similar to
the one found on the church must be placed there again, and that even
if the church is not to be opened for religious services, the cross
must still be placed there as a part of restoration efforts.

Six international symposiums on astronomy to be held in Armenia this summer

Arminfo
2007-03-23 20:48:00

Aug 20-25 Armenia will host six international symposiums on astronomy,
says the director of the Burakan observatory Hayk Haroutyunyuan.

400 scientists from European countries, the US, India, China and Japan
will take part in them to discuss and to make reports on problems of
astro-physics, cosmology, ancient astronomy.

Haroutyunyuan says that such events are carried out worldwide each
year. The host country is selected on a competitive basis. This time
the organizers preferred Armenia to Ukraine. The conduct of such
events is a sure way towards European integration.

Concerning the Burakan observatory, Haroutyunyan says that the annual
sum the observatory receives from the government is equivalent to the
salary of one western astronomer. The key source of financing is
cooperation contracts. Italy, Germany and Russia provide the
observatory with necessary equipment.

Haroutyunyan says that Armenia has old traditions in astronomy and the
key problem today is to attract youths into the sphere.

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
March 23 2007

PETER SEMNEBY: PARTIES SHOULD RENDER DECISIONS OF THEIR OWN FREE WILL

March 23 the Nagorno-Karabagh Republic President Arkady Ghoukassian
received the European Union Special Representative for the South
Caucasus Peter Semneby, who is in Yerevan on a one-day visit, at the
NKR Permanent Representation in RA.
At a briefing held on completion of the meeting the EU Special
Representative for the South Caucasus stated the meeting was not like
negotiations. `’It was exchange of views over the situation in
Karabagh as a whole and around the talks”.
According to Peter Semneby, the fact that despite his promise this
time he did not visit the NKR either and met with the NKR President
in Yerevan is explained by lack of time.
When asked if the European structures put pressure on the leadership
of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabagh in the Karabakh settlement issue,
Peter Semneby noted the international community, first of all OSCE
Minsk group was waiting for the parties’ consent to the compromise
proposals. `’Armenia, Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabagh should change
their stands”, the Special Representative stated, adding the parties
should render such decisions of their own free will.
In Peter Semneby’s words, the European Union can apply the levers of
the European security policy and Action Programs to support the talks
and MG OSCE efforts exerted at the Karabakh conflict settlement. The
Special Representative voiced confidence that the EU could do a lot
to establish the atmosphere of trust between the parties.
Explaining the fact that his visits to the region had become more
frequent, Peter Semneby said the European Union was interested in the
region, in part, the problems the region countries faced. `’It is
connected with the fact that besides the European Neighborhood policy
the EU develops substantial relations with all the countries of the
region. Taking into consideration that Bulgaria and Romania entered
the EU, it should be noted that the EU is becoming not an observer,
but an immediate participant of the events going on in the Great
Black Sea region”, Peter Semneby remarked.
The EU Special Representative refused to comment militarist
statements made in Azerbaijan. He just stated `’trust and
conciliation are necessary to settle the conflict”. `’The EU can
contribute to it”, he underscored.

Microsoft representative: 95% of software in Armenia are illegal

Arminfo
2007-03-23 21:02:00

95% of software in Armenia are illegal, the Microsoft representative
in Armenia Grigor Barsegyan said during the presentation of localized
Armenian version of Windows EX today.

He said that Armenia’s key resource is intellectual potential and the
country must protect it by means of copyright. Otherwise, the authors
of intellectual products will leave Armenia for the countries that
will protect their intellectual property. Unless Armenia takes serious
measures to protect copyright, it risks to "scare off" serious
investments. This problem is present not only in the IT sector but in
very many other spheres.

Still the situation is improving as people and companies in Armenia
are beginning to understand that it is safer and better to use
licensed software. One such example is VivaCell who provides higher
quality services due to licensed software.

International Herald Tribune, France
March 23 2007

Turkey restores Armenian church to show goodwill
The Associated PressPublished: March 23, 2007

AKDAMAR ISLAND, Turkey: An ancient Armenian church, perched on a
rocky island in a vast lake, has become a modern symbol of the
divisions and fitful efforts at reconciliation between Turks and
Armenians whose history of bloodshed drives their troubled
relationship.

The Akdamar church, one of the most precious remnants of Armenian
culture 1,000 years ago, deteriorated over the last century, a victim
of neglect after Turks carried out mass killings of Armenians as the
Ottoman Empire crumbled around the time of World War I. Rainwater
seeped through the collapsed, conical dome, treasure-hunters dug up
the basalt floor, and shepherds took potshots with rifles at the
facade.

Next week, the church will showcase Turkey’s tentative steps to
improve ties with its ethnic Armenian minority, as well as
neighboring Armenia. Turkey completed a US$1.5 million restoration of
the sandstone building, and invited Armenian officials to a ceremony
there on March 29 to mark what Turkey’s prime minister, Recep Tayyip
Erdogan, has called a "positive" message.

An Armenian deputy culture minister and other prominent Armenians
plan to go. Armenia’s foreign minister welcomed the restoration, but
said Turkey mistakenly believed the project would prove that it was
dedicated to better ties with its neighbor.

"A positive sign and a move on the part of Turkey … would be the
opening of the border with Armenia and establishment of diplomatic
relations," the news agency Armenpress quoted Foreign Minister Vartan
Oskanian as saying this week. He said the Armenian delegation could
reach the church near the city of Van in eastern Turkey by land in a
few hours if the border were open, but instead will have to fly to
Istanbul, and then take another flight back toward the Armenian
border.

Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 during a war between
Armenia and Azerbaijan, a Muslim ally of Ankara. The move hurt the
economy of tiny, landlocked Armenia. Also, Turkey lobbied against a
proposed resolution in the U.S. Congress that would recognize the
killings of Armenians in the last century as genocide. Some of
Turkey’s 65,000 Armenian Orthdox Christians say they endure
harassment in Turkey, whose population is overwhelmingly Muslim.

Hrant Dink, an ethnic Armenian journalist murdered in Istanbul in
January, was apparently targeted by nationalists who detested his
commentaries on minority rights and free expression.

Patriarch Mesrob II, the spiritual head of the Armenian Orthodox
community in Turkey, has asked the government to mount a cross on top
of the church, which used to have one, and to allow religious
services to be held there on occasion.

The government has yet to respond, but placement of a cross could be
sensitive for the Islamic-rooted government of Erdogan, who plans to
attend the inauguration ceremony. The symbolism could upset some
Muslims, and a parallel force, Turkey’s secular establishment, led by
the powerful military, might regard it as a concession to Armenia and
the Armenian diaspora.

"It speaks well of the Turkish government that they paid for it and
took the initiative to make it happen," said David Phillips, an
advocate of Turkish-Armenian reconciliation who helped gather
international restoration experts and architects for the church
project. But he noted that Turkey views the site as a museum rather
than a place of worship.

"It runs the risk of being viewed as an antiquity, instead of a
living symbol of Armenian culture and spiritual life," said Phillips,
executive director of The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity, in New
York City.

The European Union urged Turkey in 2004 to consider registering
Akdamar in UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The EU has also urged
Turkey, a candidate for membership, to improve treatment of
minorities.

Relief carvings on the outer walls of the Akdamar church depict Jesus
Christ, barefoot and bearded, holding the book of Gospels; a sea
creature devouring Jonah as he is tossed from a ship; Abraham
grabbing his son Isaac’s hair and holding a knife as he prepares to
sacrifice him; David with a slingshot facing the giant warrior,
Goliath; and Adam and Eve, holding the forbidden fruit.

"Akdamar is an extroverted church," said Zakarya Mildanoglu, an
ethnic Armenian architect who helped restore it. "It doesn’t hide its
face."

Reliefs also show the church’s builder, Armenian King Gagik I, in an
ornate robe and crown, vines and grapes, eagles, bears, a peacock,
cockerels, a man killing a lion, and a lion pouncing on a deer.
Inside the church, deep blue frescoes show biblical scenes, though
many have been destroyed and the walls have big, blank patches.

"Both the frescoes and relief sculpture appropriate Byzantine and
Islamic visual traditions; the Abbasid caliphate was of course very
strong by this time, and Byzantine art was understood as a visual
language of prestige and power," Christina Maranci, an expert on
medieval Armenian architecture at the University of Wisconsin in
Milwaukee, wrote in an email. The church "presents a very interesting
use of both," Maranci wrote.

Renovators replaced fallen roof stones to prevent more damage to the
interior, restored the floor, strengthened walls and cleaned
frescoes. The church still bears marks of ill treatment, with
graffiti scratched next to some carvings.

Akdamar, called the Church of Surp Khach, or Holy Cross, was
inaugurated in A.D. 921. Written records say the church was near a
harbor and a palace on the island on Lake Van, but only the church
survived.

Many local residents supported the renovation because it could
generate tourism. Some Turks posted critical articles on the
Internet. A leader of an extreme nationalist party said he welcomed
the restoration as long as it is not interpreted as a political
overture.

"We are not guilty of anything," said Mehmet Sandir, associate
chairman of the Nationalist Movement Party. "Why should we be making
gestures?"

Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
March 23 2007

US, Azerbaijan Sign Energy Security Agreement

Friday , 23 March 2007

The United States and Azerbaijan Thursday signed an agreement aimed
at expanding oil and gas production in Azerbaijan and the Caspian
region and moving it to European markets. The deal was signed during
a State Department visit by Azerbaijani Foreign Minister that also
included talks on the Baku government’s human rights record, and the
status of Nagorno-Karabakh. VOA’s David Gollust reports from the
State Department.

The agreement signed by the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister and
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice establishes a high-level dialogue
on energy security in the Caspian region, largely aimed at promoting
new oil and gas export routes that bypass Russia and Iran.

But U.S. officials say the effort is not directed against any
country, and that diversifying energy supply lines to Europe would
strengthen competition, and benefit everyone, including Russia and
its giant gas export company Gazprom.

The United States has strongly supported new pipeline routes that
carry Caspian-region oil and gas through Azerbaijan and Georgia and
avoid transshipment to Europe via Russia’s pipeline monopoly.

One such oil pipeline, the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan route, opened this
year. U.S. officials say a priority of the dialogue will be to
further develop a new gas pipeline through the northeastern Turkish
city of Erzurum – as well as an envisaged distribution pipeline,
called Nabucco, that would carry Caspian gas onward from Turkey to
Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Austria.

In a talk with reporters, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
for European and Eurasian Affairs Matthew Bryza said the projects
will bring energy competition to Europe but not greatly affect the
huge market share held by Russia and Gazprom. "Russia already
provides 65 per cent of the gas to Turkey, already provides 40 per
cent of the imported gas into the rest of Europe. So Gazprom has a
huge market share already. And what we’re trying to do is increase
competition, so that the European gas market isn’t as dysfunctional
as it is right now," he said.

Bryza said the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister also met with Assistant
Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Barry
Lowenkron in a second meeting of a bilateral dialogue on democracy
and human rights.

The United States has been critical of the Azerbaijani government’s
conduct of elections and treatment of opposition activists.

Bryza said while the Baku government "has a long way to go" on
political reform, Azerbaijan could potentially become the world’s
first secular democracy with a majority Shiite Muslim population.

Deputy Assistant Secretary Bryza said the talks also covered the
long-running dispute over the Armenian controlled Nagorno-Karabakh
enclave in Azerbaijan.

Bryza, the U.S. co-chair of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe’s "Minsk group" seeking an end to the conflict,
said considerable progress has been made on a set of principles
governing a settlement, and he said he hopes for renewed momentum
after parliamentary elections in Armenia in May.

"We anticipate that right after the Armenian elections on May 12th,
the presidents (of Azerbaijan and Armenia) will come back together.
And we hope, we hope then, that they’ll get close to finalizing the
document. I don’t want to say they’re going to finalize it, because
it’s not fair to back them into a corner. There are still some
differences between them," he said.

The proposed framework is reported to include the withdrawal of
Armenia-backed forces from areas around Nagorno-Karabakh, accompanied
by security guarantees and an international peacekeeping force. At a
later date a referendum in the region would determine its final
status.

The United States, Russia and France co-chair the Minsk group, which
also includes several other European countries as well as Armenia and
Azerbaijan.

Source: VOA News

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Mediamax Agency, Armenia
March 23 2007

In 2006, the volume of mortgage crediting in Armenia made 25,4bln AMD

Yerevan, March 23 /Mediamax/. In 2006, the volume of mortgage
crediting in Armenia made 25,4bln AMD.

Mediamax reports that the Chairman of the Central Bank of Armenia
Tigran Sarkisian said this during the annual meeting of the
Association of mortgage market participants of Armenia. According to
him, it is a low sum for the development of mortgage market of the
country, as in many developed countries mortgage credits make more
than the half of the volume of credit investments, whereas in the
Armenian banks they make only the 10%.

According to Tigran Sarkisian, the main reason for the small specific
weight of mortgage crediting in Armenia is the low average salary of
the population, which does not reach the point of $300, which is
needed to receive a mortgage credit. Among other obstacles, the CB
Chairman noted the short terms of providing mortgage credits.
According to Tigran Sarkisian, the given terms should be increased up
to 20 years. He also noted that the lowering of interest rates of
credit provision will also assist the development of mortgage
crediting in Armenia.

The CB Chairman informed that in the course of 5 years it is planned
that the volume of mortgage crediting in Armenia will increase up to
$1,5bln. This, according to him, will allow increasing the volume of
construction in the country, which is a necessity at present. `80% of
the housing resources of Armenia are in disastrous condition and that
is why the development of construction is urgent’, Tigran Sarkisian
stated.

Mediamax Agency, Armenia
March 23 2007

In 2006, the volume of the mortgage credits, provided in Armenia,
grew for 120%

Yerevan, March 23 /Mediamax/. In 2006, the volume of mortgage
credits, provided in Armenia, grew for 120%, as compared to 2005.

Mediamax reports that Chairman of the Association of mortgage market
participants of Armenia Ashot Osipian said this today during the
annual meeting of the organization.

According to him, among the achievements, one should note the
formation of a standard of mortgage crediting in Armenia. Ashot
Osipian stated that the availability of mortgage credits has
increased as well. At the same time, he noted, if one compares the
correlation of mortgage crediting volumes in Armenia to the GDP of
the country with the same correlation in developed countries, the
image will not be a very happy one.

Ashot Osipian also noted that the main tasks of the organization
today are the increase of the terms of mortgage crediting, the
decrease of interest rates and the implementation of mortgage
crediting in all the regions of Armenia.