Month: July 2007

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
June 29 2007

CYPRIOT JUSTICE MINISTER ARRIVES IN ARMENIA FOR THREE-DAY VISIT

YEREVAN, June 29. /ARKA/. The Cypriot delegation headed by the
Justice Minister of Cyprus Sofoklis Sofokleous arrived in Armenia fro
a three-day visit.

The aim of the visit is to develop principal provisions of
international agreement on legal consultancy between the two
countries, Assistant to Armenian Justice Minister Lana Mshetsian told
ARKA agency.

She also pointed out that the respective agreement is expected to be
signed during the visit of Armenian Justice Minister Gevorg Danielian
to Cyprus at the end of the year.

According to Mshetsian, the Cypriot delegation will have meetings in
the Armenian Ministry of Justice in Yerevan, will visit local prisons
and the Central prison hospital, as well as will pay a floral tribute
to the victims of the Armenian Genocide of 1915 in Tsitsernakaberd.
N.V. -0 –

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
June 29 2007

PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS UNDER MAJORITY SYSTEM IN 36TH ELECTION
DISTRICT IN ARMENIA MUST BE VOIDED

YEREVAN, June 29. /ARKA/. The parliamentary elections in Armenia
under the majority system in the 36th election district must be
voided due to numerous violations in the course of elections, Sevak
Saghatelyan, lawyer and representative of the declarant, appealing
against the election results in this election district, reported at
the sitting of the Constitutional Court on Friday.

`The mass violations, committed in the course of elections, call the
justice of elections in question, and are a proper ground for voiding
the election results,’ he said.

According to Saghatelyan, protocols of divisional election committees
testify to mass violations. In particular, the information about the
number of ballots and ballot envelopes provided for election
committees, as well as the information about the number of voters
mismatch. He said that the number of inaccuracies in one of the 36th
election district’s polling stations alone totaled 697, and the total
number of inaccuracies in polling stations makes 2 to 129.

`A total of inaccuracies in the 36th election district amounts to
1441 that exceeds the difference of votes cast for deputy nominees
who won the first and second places. This is at least doubtful,’
Saghatelyan reported.

The parliamentary elections in Armenia were held on May 12. Non-party
Mkhitar Varaghyan won the elections in the 36th election district. He
collected about 14.8ths votes. His contenders Musheg Petrosyan and
Musheg Saghatelyan collected 13,600 and 7,100 votes respectively.

Musheg Saghatelyan submitted the application for voiding the decision
of the 36th election district’s committee `On approval of the results
of the parliamentary elections under the majority system’. R.O. -0–

Mediamax News Agency, Armenia
June 29 2007

`VimpelCom’ refutes the statements on `non-official promotion’ of its
brand in Armenia

Yerevan, June 29 /Mediamax/. Executive Vice-President of `VimpelCom’
OJSC on Business Development in CIS States Dmitri Pleskonos stated in
Yerevan today that `we are a perfectly legal company and we are not
involved in non-official promotion of anything in Armenia’.

Mediamax reports that Dmitri Pleskonos said this, commenting on
certain publications, according to which `VimpelCom’ is allegedly
involved in `discourteous promotion of its `Beeline’ brand in
Armenia.

`We know the Armenian `Bi Line’ Company and we are holding
corresponding talks with it. The given talks will be continued’,
Vice-President of `VimpelCom’ stated.

Dmitri Pleskonos stressed that `VimpelCom’ from the very beginning
was not planning to change the brand of the fixed subdivision of
`ArmenTel’.

`This is a well-known brand, almost the whole population of the
country knows it, and it is more than convenient for us’, he noted.

`I do not know where the fuss around the Armenian `Bi Line’ Company
comes from, but I can say that if we do not come to an agreement with
them on the joint use of the brand, the situation will not become
critical for us, as we very much like the `ArmenTel’ brand’, Dmitri
Pleskonos stated.

General Director of `ArmenTel’ Oleg Bliznyuk expressed opinion that
the mentioned publications `are of artificial character, as we do not
have any real problems of that kind’.

Dmitri Pleskonos also noted that `we do not promote `Beeline’ brand
in Armenia, but we are the owners of the given brand in 6 countries,
and it is natural that we talk about our brand’.

`And the most important is that first of all we have to learn to
present products and services, which correspond to the level of the
brand’, Vice-President of `VimpelCom’ OJSC concluded.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Mediamax News Agency, Armenia
June 29 2007

`ArmenTel’ sets the task of becoming the best service ñompany in
Armenia by the end of 2008

Yerevan, June 29 /Mediamax/. General Director of `ArmenTel’ Oleg
Bliznyuk stated in Yerevan today that `we have set the task to become
the best service Company in Armenia by the end of 2008, and I am sure
that we will fulfill it’.

Mediamax reports that Oleg Bliznyuk said this today during the
meeting with journalists, dated for the Day of the Company, which is
celebrated by `ArmenTel’ today.

For the participation in the Day of the Company, the Founder and the
Honorary President of `VimpelCom’ OJSC Dmitri Zimin and the Executive
Vice-President of `VimpelCom’ on Business Development in CIS States,
member of the Company’s Board of Directors Dmitri Pleskonos have
arrived in Yerevan.

Dmitri Pleskonos stated that the task to become a service of
international level is set for the whole group of `VimpelCom’. He
described as `very successful’ the deal on purchasing `ArmenTel’ and
stressed that the Armenian market has good potential for growth in
all directions – fixed and mobile communication, broadband internet,
3G mobile communication services.

`The unique experience of `ArmenTel’ helps us and gives the
opportunity to understand the situation, to make correct decisions.
We believe that the fixed communication and the broadband internet
will give us wide opportunities for development in Armenia’, Dmitri
Pleskonos stated.

Vice-President of `VimpelCom’ OJSC stressed that the Company is
implementing modern equipment in Armenia, `which will meet the latest
requirements of the market and technologies’. Dmitri Pleskonos
highlighted the work, which is in process in `ArmenTel’ for the
implementation of a new system of billing of fixed communication,
which will allow extending the variety of services.

`The Armenian market has great prospects from the point of view of
provision of non-voice services; there is much place for work here’,
Dmitri Pleskonos stated.

Representatives of `VimpelCom’ OJSC expressed content by the meeting
with the Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian, which took place
June 28. The Founder and the Honorary President of `VimpelCom’ OJSC
Dmitri Zimin informed about the `well-disposed attitude’ of the
Armenian authorities to the Company and noted that the demand for
telecommunication services in Armenia takes the lead over the supply,
and this `gives wide opportunities for development and implementation
of new services’.

Talking about the prospects of implementation of convergent services
in Armenia, Dmitri Pleskonos stated that, first of all, one should
secure high quality of the mobile and fixed services of `ArmenTel’,
after which one may consider the prospects of their combination.

General Director of `ArmenTel’ CJSC Oleg Bliznyuk stated that `in the
nearest few months you will see the results of our efforts on
development of broadband internet’.

Mediamax News Agency, Armenia
June 25 2007

PM believes that Armenia may become the regional financial center

Yerevan, June 26 /Mediamax/. Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian
stated that the banking system of the country quickly integrates
itself into the international banking community.

Mediamax reports that, speaking on June 25 during the annual meeting
of the Union of Banks of Armenia (UBA), the Prime Minister stated
that `at present, the banking system of Armenia is stable; the
confidence for it grows day by day’. According to the Head of the
government, the implementation of systems of corporate management,
establishment of infrastructures, which increase the reliability of
the banking system, assist the given process.

At the same time, according to the Prime Minister, there are a number
of problems, which need soon solution. In particular, the ratio of
credits in the structure of GDP does not exceed 10%. `We should do
everything for the credit means to become available for each
businessman, and for each citizen be able to equip their habitation
conditions with modern amenities at the expense of mortgage’, Serzh
Sarkisian stated.

The Prime Minister noted that the 5-year Action Program of the
Armenian government includes issues of developing the banking system.
The government, together with the Central Bank and the UBA, intends
to elaborate and realize the corresponding programs and establish
auspicious conditions for solving the given tasks.

Firstly, Armenia should become the regional financial center, for
which there are all the necessary objective prerequisites. A bright
evidence of which is, according to the Prime Minister, the active
interest, which is demonstrated by the international financial
community to the banking system of Armenia.

Secondly, the government set the task of equal development of the
regions of Armenia. In this connection, Serzh Sarkisian proposed to
turn one of the towns of Armenia, for instance – Dilijan, to the
financial center of the country.

Thirdly, the banking system should be the driving force of the real
sector of economy, which provides for the implementation of new
technologies and services.

Fourthly, the system of management in the banking sphere should be an
example for the enterprises of the real sector as to the standards of
corporative management, effective organization of business-processes,
the financial management and etc.

Fifthly, the banks, being public institutions, should bear the social
responsibility, taking active participation in social programs.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Mediamax News Agency, Armenia
June 26 2007

Chairman of Armenian CB believes that the banking system of the
country should demonstrate at least 40% annual growth

Yerevan, June 26 /Mediamax/. Chairman of the Central Bank of Armenia
Tigran Sarkisian believes that to solve the urgent economic tasks,
the banking system of the country should demonstrate at least 40%
annual growth, instead of the present 20-30%.

Mediamax reports that, speaking on June 25 annual session of the
Union of Banks of Armenia (UBA), Tigran Sarkisian pointed out the
necessity of increasing the level of competition in the banking
sphere of Armenia.

The CB Chairman believes that the highest in the world spread of the
attracted and placed means – 10-13% – is the index of low level of
competition. Tigran Sarkisian noted that the CB proposed a number of
steps for the solution of the given problem, among which the increase
of requirements for the capital of the banks up to 5bln drams,
attracting leading foreign banks into the banking system, etc. As a
result, there are already 5 applications received from `Postbank’,
`Gazprombank’, `Byblos Bank’, `Raiffeisenbank’, `Procreditbank’,
which want to start functioning on the Armenian market.

Tigran Sarkisian also singled out the formation of mortgage market as
another important aspect.

`According to our forecasts, in the course of the nearest five years,
the volume of mortgage market in Armenia will reach 350bln drams
instead of the present 30bln drams’, the Chairman of the Central Bank
of Armenia stated.

Armenian media silent as Dink murder trial approaches in Turkey

BBC Monitoring research
30 Jun 07

The trial of 18 people charged with involvement in the murder of
Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink opens in Istanbul on Monday 2
July. Dink’s murder in January this year caused a strong reaction in
neighbouring Armenia. Dink was an editor with the Armenian-language
newspaper Agos published in Istanbul. Turkish nationalist circles are
reported to have masterminded the murder. Dink campaigned for the
recognition of the mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire
during World War I as genocide.

"Shock" in Yerevan

The Armenian public, including politicians and intellectuals, widely
condemned Dink’s murder. Mass protests were staged in the Armenian
capital Yerevan, while President Robert Kocharyan offered his
condolences to Dink’s family and friends. "We hope that the Turkish
authorities will do their best to find and punish the culprits with the
utmost rigour of the law," Kocharyan’s press secretary told Arminfo
news agency.

In turn, Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan said that he was "shocked" by
the murder. Hrant Dink believed in dialogue and mutual understanding
between peoples, he said. "Irrespective of the circumstances of the
murder, we strongly condemn the incident in Istanbul and hope that the
Turkish authorities will do their best to solve the crime and find its
masterminds and executors," Oskanyan said.

Mourning ceremonies were held in Yerevan to commemorate Dink. One of
these ceremonies was attended by 6,000 people who held Dink’s photos
and placards saying "Turkey, is it your path to Europe?".

Media reaction

Prior to Dink’s murder, the Armenian media had widely covered his
trials for degrading Turkishness. A few hours after his murder,
Armenian Public TV began broadcasting footage from foreign TV stations
showing Dink lying at the scene of the crime. In the following days,
the Armenian print media and TV stations covered the murder
extensively. Papers published factual reports, interviews,
international reactions, analyses as to who could be behind the
killing, as well as statements by politicians, public figures and
organizations.

The usual comments were that while the Turkish government cannot be
blamed directly for the killing, it was responsible for the general
atmosphere in the country that resulted in the ultra-nationalists
committing the murder. "Journalist Hrant Dink’s murder raises questions
about Turkey’s ability to carry out reforms, become more civilized, and
integrate into Europe," Aravot newspaper wrote in comments after the
killing.

"A nationalistic and intolerant atmosphere has been established in the
neighbouring country, and the Armenian journalist fell victim to that
atmosphere. It is precisely the Turkish authorities that are primarily
responsible for that atmosphere," Aravot said.

"There is no doubt that the killer was led not just by Turkey, but by
the Turkish authorities, which endlessly persecuted, insulted and
threatened Dink… The Turkish authorities could not but know how the
endless persecution of Hrant Dink would end," another newspaper Azg
wrote.

At least three Armenian TV channels – Public TV, Yerkir Media and
Kentron TV – covered live Dink’s funeral in Istanbul.

However, the forthcoming trial of those charged with Hrant Dink’s
murder is not extensively covered by the Armenia media. The most likely
reason is that the Armenian media have no correspondents in Istanbul
and seem to be unaware of the trial. However, once the trial is covered
by the international media, Armenian newspapers and TV channels are
likely to catch up.

Swiss arrest 2 Turks for allegedly denying Armenian genocide
AP Worldstream
Published: Jun 30, 2007

Two Turks were arrested Saturday on suspicion of breaking Swiss
anti-racism laws for allegedly denying that the killing of Armenians in
the early 20th century was genocide, police said.

The two were arrested at a conference in the Zurich suburb of
Winterthur, where posters were hung up and leaflets distributed
rejecting that the killing was genocide. One of the Turks organized the
event and the other was shouting slogans before a crowd.

Switzerland’s anti-racism legislation, which previously applied to
Holocaust denial, was used earlier this year to prosecute a Turkish
politician for denying at a gathering in 2005 that the Turks committed
genocide in the World War I-era killings.

Last week, a Swiss cantonal court upheld the conviction against Dogu
Perincek, the leader of the Turkish Workers’ Party, as well as an order
for him to pay a fine of 3,000 Swiss francs (US$2,450; A1,870).

The case of Perincek, who was also ordered to pay 1,000 francs (US$820;
A620) to an Armenian association, has caused diplomatic tension between
Switzerland and Turkey. Turkey insists Armenians were killed in civil
unrest during the tumultuous collapse of the Ottoman Empire and not in
a campaign of genocide. Turkey also rejects Armenian claims that the
death toll reached 1.5 million.

Perincek was invited to Saturday’s conference, but was prevented from
entering Switzerland because he had not applied for a visa, said
Dominique Boillat, spokesman for the Federal Office for Migration.

Police in the canton (state) of Zurich identified the two arrested
individuals as a 57-year-old resident of Germany and a 51-year-old
Swiss resident.

Azeri intellectuals call for peaceful settlement of Karabakh conflict

Arminfo, Yerevan
29 Jun 07

Stepanakert, 29 June: "For the first time in 17 years an Azerbaijani
delegation crossed some psychological barrier and a real border between
the parties to the Karabakh conflict," the Azerbaijani ambassador to
Russia, Polad Bulbuloglu, has said in the Nagornyy Karabakh town of
Shushi.

Bulbuloglu led a delegation of Azerbaijani intellectuals visiting
Nagornyy Karabakh together with a delegation of Armenian intellectuals
headed by the Armenian ambassador to Russia, Armen Smbatyan.

Bulbuloglu said that in order to ensure the security of the Armenian
and Azerbaijani delegations, the sector of the border was cleared of
land mines by the conflicting parties overnight.

"The situation is getting intolerable because normal and civilized
nations – for example, in Europe – unite. There are almost no borders
left in Europe, and people with intellectual capabilities try to become
‘citizens of the world’, they try to catch up with the trends going on
in the world. I think that both the Armenian and Azerbaijani peoples
are wise enough and have very deep cultures and deep historical roots
to find the strength and break the existing situation for a final
settlement of the Karabakh conflict peacefully, through talks and
certain compromises so that both the Armenians and Azerbaijanis can
live together," he said.

The Azerbaijani delegation visited a Muslim mosque in Shushi. They saw
that the mosque is being reconstructed with state money and that its
architectural shape has been preserved.

[Passage omitted: Bulbuloglu visited his parents’ house in Shushi,
praised Armenian ambassador Smbatyan for initiating the visit]

Speaking of the visit of the Azerbaijani intellectuals, Nagornyy
Karabakh president Arkadi Ghukasyan said: "We have no guarantees that
such meetings will become traditional since the differences are still
too deep and we are still to far from each other in our positions, but
most importantly, there is no atmosphere to create prerequisites for
it. I think that such visits are very important to all of us because
they remind us of an important thing: war is not able to settle any
issue. All the issues should be settled in talks. Our Azerbaijani
colleagues – those who are in Nagornyy Karabakh today – share this
opinion. If we fail to listen to each other, if we fail to create an
atmosphere of mutual trust, we will be far from the settlement process."

[Passage omitted: background]
From: Baghdasarian

Business Wire (press release), CA
June 26 2007

Virage Logic Key Participant in Inaugural Armenian Technology
Congress

Semiconductor IP Leader Helps Promote Strength of Country’s
Engineering Talent

ArmTech Congress 2007

FREMONT, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Virage Logic Corporation
(NASDAQ:VIRL), the semiconductor industry’s trusted IP partner and
pioneer in Silicon Aware IP’, today announced its participation in
the inaugural Armenia Technology Congress (ArmTech Congress 2007) to
be held July 4-7, 2007, at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. The
company boasts a significant presence in the Southwest Asian nation
and has contributed the time and talents of key executives –
including President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dan McCranie,
who will deliver a keynote address, and Vice President and Chief
Scientist Dr. Yervant Zorian, who serves as Program Chair – to help
define and execute the conference program.

`Virage Logic’s extensive participation in ArmTech Congress 2007
reflects our deep commitment to Armenia as a center for world-class
engineering talent and a region in which we expect continued
expansion,’ said Dan McCranie, president, CEO and director of Virage
Logic. `We are proud to support this inaugural conference and I trust
that anyone who attends will come away with a profound appreciation
for the wealth of intellectual resources Armenia has to offer.’

Virage Logic in Armenia

Recognizing a vital source of technology engineering talent, Virage
Logic established its research and development center in Armenia in
1999, three years after the company’s founding. Today the company’s
more than 100 employees in Armenia account for nearly one-quarter of
its worldwide workforce and contribute to several important product
development initiatives. The Armenian research and development (R&D)
organization is central to the company’s groundbreaking Self-Test and
Repair (STAR) Memory System’, the semiconductor industry’s first
integrated embedded test and repair memory system and the first of
the company’s Silicon Aware IP solutions. In addition to development
of the STAR Memory System, the Armenian engineering team is involved
in the development of the company’s software, NOVeA® non-volatile
embedded memory product, I/O products and overall memory design.

`Our Armenia R&D center was largely responsible for the STAR Memory
System, a significant product that has enabled customers to improve
their semiconductor yield by up to 250 percent,’ said Dr. Zorian.
`Based on the consistent innovation and results our Armenian
engineers have produced, we see our growing investment in the region
as offering substantial dividends for our products and our
customers.’

About ArmTech Congress 2007

The inaugural ArmTech Congress 2007 is expected to draw several
hundred attendees – from the United States, Armenia and around the
world – from various disciplines including technology, investment,
government and academia. The conference program will offer tracks on
Education, Telecom, Software, Digital Media, Semiconductor Design and
Test, Renewable and Alternative Energy, Research and Development,
Investment, Bio Tech, and Fine Chemical Technologies to showcase the
breadth of opportunities in Armenia. For more information or to
register for the conference, please visit

Virage Logic at ArmTech Congress 2007

The following sessions include participants from Virage Logic’s U.S.
and Armenia operations:

Thursday, July 5
8:30 a.m. to 10:20 a.m.
Keynote Address: "Program Introduction"
Dr. Yervant Zorian, vice president and chief scientist, Virage Logic;
ArmTech Congress 2007 Program Chair

10:50 a.m. to 12:10 p.m.
Paper Presentation: "Digital Media Content: E-Learning"
Dr. Yervant Zorian, vice president and chief scientist, Virage Logic;
ArmTech Congress 2007 Program Chair

1:40 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Paper Presentation: "Demand in High Tech Education"
Varoujan Maserejian, general manager, Virage Logic Armenia,
Samvel Shoukourian, research and development program director, Virage
Logic Armenia, and Dr. Yervant Zorian, vice president and chief
scientist, Virage Logic; ArmTech Congress 2007 Program Chair

Friday, July 6
8:30 a.m. to 10:20 a.m.
Keynote Address: "Semiconductor Industry: Opportunities and
Challenges"
Dan McCranie, president, CEO and director, Virage Logic

10:50 a.m. to 12:10 p.m.
Track Organizer: "High Tech Research and Innovation in Armenia"
Samvel Shoukourian, research and development program director, Virage
Logic Armenia

1:40 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Paper Presentation: "R&D Collaboration and Affiliate Programs"
Valery Vardanian, manager embedded test & repair methodology team,
Virage Logic Armenia, and Avetik Yessayan, senior manager
system-on-chip interface team, Virage Logic Armenia

Invited Presentation: "Semiconductor Manufacturability Challenges &
Opportunities"
Dr. Yervant Zorian, vice president and chief scientist, Virage Logic;
ArmTech Congress 2007 program chair

Saturday, July 7
10:50 a.m. to 12:10 p.m.
Congress Report: "ArmTech 2007 Concluding Results"
Dr. Yervant Zorian, vice president and chief scientist, Virage Logic;
ArmTech Congress 2007 program chair
Virage Logic Availability for the Media

Dan McCranie and Dr. Yervant Zorian will be available for press
interviews regarding Armenia and the company’s operations there
during ArmTech Congress 2007, July 4-7. To arrange an interview,
please contact James McIntyre at [email protected]. Additionally, Dr.
Zorian will be in Armenia July 14-19 and is available for interviews
with local media. To arrange an interview, please contact Peter
Maghdashyan at [email protected]. For more information
about ArmTech Congress 2007, please visit
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