Month: May 2008

ARMEN MINASYAN APPOINTED UEFA DELEGATE AT THE FINAL OF THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

armradio.am
12.05.2008 18:08

UEFA has appointed the Executive Director of the Football Federation
of Armenia Armen Minasyan has been appointed as the UEFA delegate at
the final of the Champions League to be held at "Luzhniki" Stadium
on May 21.

Manchester United and Chelsea will compete in the final.

Armenpress was informed from the Press Service of RA Football
Federation that this is the first case in the history of Armenian
football, when the representative of our country is involved in the
process of organization of an event of this kind, assuming one of
the leading roles.

CISCO ACADEMY TO BE FOUNDED IN ARMENIA

ARKA
May 12, 2008

YEREVAN, May 12. /ARKA/. Cisco Academy is to be established in Armenia,
the Operations Director of ArmenTel Company (Beeline brand) Alexander
Birman told journalists. ArmenTel initiated the foundation of Cisco
Academy in Armenia and undertook to settle all organizational issues,
including search for sponsors, Birman said.

According to him, the graduates from the Academy will receive
international certificates. He said that negotiations for cooperation
are being held with Armenia’s State Engineering University.

A special program Third Generation is to be started next year. Under
the program young specialists will major is various fields at the
Cisco Academy, Birman said.

He pointed out that these specialists will be in demand on the Armenian
market as almost all telecommunication mains are Cisco products,
and respective experts are required to serve the mains.

Cisco Systems Inc, is world’s leader in the field of Internet
networking technologies.

ARKA AGENCY PUBLISHES QUARTERLY BULLETIN ON ARMENIAN BANKS’ INDICATORS BY END OF Q1 2008

ARKA
May 12, 2008

YEREVAN, May 12. /ARKA/. The ARKA News Agency has published its
quarterly bulletin on Armenian banks’ performance indicators recorded
by the end of the first quarter 2008.

The bulletin is based on banks’ financial reports published in the
press, as well as on additional information provided by the banks.

The "Performance indicators of Armenian banks" bulletin includes about
80 pages of tables and ten sections dealing with the banking system –
1. General description of banks, 2.Assets, 3. Liabilities, 4. Asset
and liability transactions of banks with non-residents 5. Capital, 6.

Profit/Losses, 7. Money flow information 8. Liquidity and
capitalization level 9. Risk norms and 10. Bank profitability and
yield indicators.

The information contained in the bulletin is sufficient for forming an
idea of the financial state of Armenia’s banks and making a comparative
analysis of their performance.

The ARKA News Agency founded on May 1 1996 specializes in financial,
economic and political information. ARKA started publishing the
bulletin "Credit organizations of Armenia" is 1999 and the quarterly
bulletin "Financial indicators of banks" in May 2006. The bulletins
are based on independent annual audits.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

EQUITY CAPITAL OF ARMENIAN INSURANCE COMPANIES TOTAL 6.6BLN DRAMS BY END OF MARCH

ARKA
May 12, 2008

YEREVAN, May 12. /ARKA/. Equity capital of ten insurance companies
operating in Armenia had totaled 6.6bln drams by the end of March
against 5.3bln drams by the end of 2007, the Press Service of the
Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) reported.

Accumulated profit of insurance companies had totaled 587.4mln drams by
the end of the quarter and has remained unchanged since the beginning
of the year with the profit over the period being 315.6mln drams.

The insurance companies’ authorized stock had totaled 5.8bln drams
by the end of March as compared with 4.6bln drams at the beginning
of the year.

Total assets of the insurance companies had amounted to 9.4bln drams by
March 31 as compared with 8.4bln drams by the end of December 31, 2007.

Monetary funds totaled 96.6mln drams against 82.8mln drams at the
beginning of this year.

The Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) has been exercising supervision
over Armenia’s insurance market since January 1, 2006.

Ten insurance companies and three insurance brokers currently operate
in Armenia. ($1=306.95 drams).

630 FAMILY DOCTORS, NURSES NECESSARY FOR OPTIMAL MEDICAL SERVICES IN YEREVAN

ARKA
May 12, 2008

YEREVAN, May 12. /ARKA/. Yerevan’s outpatient treatment system needs
some 630 family doctors and nurses to render optimal medical services
to population, said Armen Sogoyan, head of the healthcare and social
welfare department, Yerevan Municipality.

The institute of family doctors is expected to be introduced by 2009,
the Yerevan Municipality reports.

For the past three years, 344 outpatient physicians and 205 nurses
have been retrained as family medical staff in Yerevan, Sogoyan said.

At present, 42 physicians and 43 nurses attend retraining courses. Some
427 family doctors and 255 nurses will work both in independent groups
as family doctors and individually.

The World Bank (WB) has allocated $20mln for the establishment of
the institute of family doctors in Armenia. As part of the WB credit
program, Surb Grigor Lusavorich (St. Gregory the Illuminator) and
Surb Astvatsamayr (St. Mother of God) hospitals will be modernized
in Yerevan.

POPE RECALLS ARMENIAN ‘MARTYRDOM,’ AVOIDING ‘GENOCIDE’ TERM

arminfo
2008-05-12 17:51:00

ArmInfo. Pope Benedict XVI on Friday recalled the "martyrdom" of
the Armenian Apostolic Church during a visit by its leader Karekin
II, avoiding the word "genocide" pronounced several times by his
predecessor John Paul II.

As AFP reports from Vatican, Karekin II, on the fourth and final
day of a visit to the Vatican, had on Wednesday urged "all nations
to universally denounce the Armenian genocide" in a speech to some
20,000 people gathered in St Peter’s Square. On Friday, however, the
pope said: "The recent history of the Armenian Apostolic Church has
been written in the contrasting colours of persecution and martyrdom,
darkness and hope, humiliation and spiritual rebirth. The restoration
of freedom to the Church in Armenia has been a source of great joy
for us all", the 81-year-old pontiff added.

The source recalls that in November 2000, a meeting at the Vatican
between John Paul II and Karekin II ended with a joint statement
condemning the Armenian "genocide. The following year, at Karekin
II’s invitation, the Polish pope travelled to Armenia where the two
religious leaders again spoke of "the extermination of one-and-a-half
million Armenian Christians in what is generally called the first
genocide of the 20th century.

The source reports that Karekin II invited Benedict XVI to visit
Armenia both in his own name and on behalf of new President Serzh
Sarkisian.

SEYRAN OHANYAN: WE FEEL SOLICITUDE FOR THE FACT THAT EVERY YEAR AZERBAIJAN INCREASES BUDGET OF ITS ARMY, BUT WE ARE STRIVING TO ENSURE BALANCE REGARDING QUALITY

arminfo
2008-05-12 18:31:00

ArmInfo. Armenian Defence Ministry fully fulfilled budget allowances
of 2007, Armenian Defence Ministry Seyran Ohanyan said in the National
Assembly, Monday.

He also added that in 2007 the expenditure programmes on military
combat readiness, ensuring fighting efficiency, replenishment of
military equipment and improving of social level of servicemen were
fully fulfilled. ‘As of 1 January 2007 salary of servicemen grew by
20%’, – the minister said. He also said that military expenditure have
grown if compared with the previous year, especially in education
sphere. ‘We are going to demand from the government raising of
military expences if possible’, – Ohanyan said. ‘Of course we feel
solicitude for the fact that every year Azerbaijan increases budget
of its army, but we are striving to ensure balance regarding quality’,
– the minister said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN EMBASSY IN LEBANON RECEIVES SEVERAL APPLICATIONS FROM RA CITIZENS TO SUPPORT THEM IN DEPARTURE FROM COUNTRY

arminfo
2008-05-12 18:28:00

ArmInfo. The Armenian embassy in Lebanon received several applications
from Armenian citizens to support them in departure from the country,
Tigran Balayan, the head of the Press Division at the Armenian foreign
ministry, told ArmInfo correspondent.

According to him, the number of such applications doesn’t exceed
10. Asked how the departure will be organized, Balayan recalled that
in the past, during the Lebanese-Israeli conflict, departure was
organized via the Syrian territory. "Now we are also working on the
same direction", Balayan said.

DIPLOMATS DISMISSED FROM FOREIGN MINISTRY INTEND TO APPEAL TO THE COURT

arminfo
2008-05-12 18:27:00

ArmInfo. On 14 May Administrative Court will hear the case on the
diplomats dismissed from the Foreign Ministry in February 2008,
lawyer Levon Baghdasaryan said at Friday Club. To recall, a group
of Ambassadors, including deputy foreign minister Armen Bayburdyan,
on February 23 made speeches during the opposition rallies in the
Liberty Square on 23 February.

The next day a group of diplomats and employees of the Foreign
Ministry made another statements. Both the statements were
perceived as political and all those who signed the statements were
dismissed. However, a group of diplomats believes that they were
dismissed illegally and intend to apply to the court for restoration
of their positions.

L. Baghdasaryan said that if the Administrative Court does not
satisfy their appeal, the case will be submitted to the next instance
court. The lawyer said that they will appeal even to the European
Court for Human Rights if need arises.

For his part, the former press-secretary of the Foreign Ministry
Vladimir Karapetyan said that none of the points in the notorious
statement contradict the stance of the official authorities. ‘We
are sure we did not violate the law and we intend to prove it in the
court’, V. Karapetyan said.

He intends to speak at the court personally. Asked if it means
that he disagreed with the policy of the former Foreign Minister
Vardan Oskanyan, Vladimir Karapetyan categorically refuted the
supposition. He stressed that before 24 February 2008 ‘the policy
was right and considerably increased the authority of Armenia’.

VLADIMIR KARAPETYAN: A SERIOUS BLOW WAS DELIVERED ON OUR POSITIONS ON KARABAKH ISSUE

arminfo
2008-05-12 18:25:00

ArmInfo. After the March 1 events Armenia’s foreign political
opportunities decreased, first and foremost, a blow was delivered on
the Armenian positions on the Karabakh issue, Vladimir Karapetyan,
the former spokesperson of the Armenian foreign ministry, said at
a press-conference at Urbat club, Monday. To recall, Karapetyan and
some other employees dismissed from the foreign ministry, are trying
to judicially prove that the decision on their dismissal was illegal,
and to be reinstated in office. The reason of the dismissal was a
statement which was qualified as political.

Commenting upon the situation after the March 1 events, Vladimir
Karapetyan recalled that a number of international organizations
came out with critical statements "to which we have given no adequate
reply yet". According to Karapetyan, in this context, both the foreign
ministry and the whole country are in the stage of rehabilitation. "The
consequences of these events continue having a negative effect on
our foreign political opportunities from the viewpoint of opposing
challenges. The fact, that though our forecast came true but the
foreign ministry continues stating that we are wrong, is amazing. As
a result of application of violence, the foreign policy of our country
faces more and more new problems, the representatives of our department
continue looking for new resources to exclude us from the sphere of
the foreign ministry. In fact, instead of opposing the external rival,
the foreign ministry continues fighting with us", Karapetyan said.
From: Baghdasarian