Month: May 2008

BRANCH OF AGRARIAN UNIVERSITY OF ARMENIA IN ARTSAKH

KarabakhOpen
30-04-2008 11:43:36

It is foreseen to set up a branch of the State Agrarian University
of Armenia in Stepanakert. This issue was discussed a few months ago
but was brought up on the eve of the visit of the delegation of the
Armenian ministry of education to Karabakh.

The rector of the Agrarian University who was in the delegation
said in the beginning the branch will be based on the specialists of
Artsakh State University, afterwards the specialists from the Agrarian
University will teach there.

He also underlined that opening the branch is costly, that "a rather
serious and responsible effort is made, however if there is necessity,
it should be brought into being."

Prime Minister Ara Harutiunyan said funding will be provided because
the branch is a necessity for Karabakh.

Besides agronomists, the country also needs builders and engineers. The
heads of the Armenian universities offered proposals regarding this
as well.

In particular, the rector of the University of Architecture offered
to set up a consortium of engineers of 6-8 specialties, with duration
of 4 years and 10 people in each group. According to him it will cost
300 million drams a year.

During the meeting it was noted that there are breaches of building
regulations in Karabakh, which is not a secret because complaints do
not stop. There is also a shortage of specialists, and the building
companies often have to invite specialists from Armenia.

The prime minister promised to study all the proposals and take action.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RAFFI HOVANNISSIAN: IF WE DON’T SEE SPECIFIC STEPS ON CONSTRUCTION OF NEW ARMENIA, HERITAGE PARTY MAY TAKE THE MOST RADICAL STEPS

arminfo
2008-04-30 14:07:00

ArmInfo. ‘If we don’t see specific steps on construction of new
Armenia, in that case we may take the most radical steps’, – the
leader of the Heritage party Raffi Hovannissian told journalists at
National Press-club today.

He also added that the problem of possibility of returning deputy
mandates of the only opposition party in the National Assembly has
not been discussed yet. ‘If we see in the actions of the authorities
true aspiration to correct the situation, in that case we shall
extend our participation in the process of domestic political life
settlement. Otherwise, I don’t rule out the radical approach when
defining further strategy of the Heritage party and its parliamentary
faction’, – Hovannissian said.

As for the sitting of the working group on fulfillment of
the conditions put against Armenia by PACE Resolution No 1609,
R.Hovannissian said that serious disagreement is in the prospect
of this group working: it involves a big number of people which are
responsible for the 1 March tragic events.

POSSIBLE MEETING BETWEEN SERZH SARKISYAN AND LEVON TER-PETROSYAN IS ONE OF THE LINKS OF URGENT COMPLEX MEASURES TO OVERCOME CRISIS IN ARMENIA, LEADER OF THE HERITAGE PARTY SAYS

arminfo
2008-04-30 11:58:00

ArmInfo. ‘Possible meeting between Serzh Sarkisyan and Levon
Ter-Petrosyan is one of the links of urgent complex measures to
overcome crisis in Armenia’, – leader of the Heritage party Raffi
Hovannissian told journalists at National Press-club today.

He also added that the above mentioned meeting of the two politicians
is necessary since they participated in the post-election events. But
one can discharge and correct the situation only taking a complex of
measures directed to improvement of political life. ‘My attempt to
organize the meeting between Serzh Sarkisyan and Levon Ter-Petrosyan
was not a public one. Anyway, I am ready to continue the attempts,
but I don’t think these politicians need a magic wand, and they can
find each other if they want’, – R.Hovannissian said.

PACE RESOLUTION N1609 ABOUT FUNCTIONING OF DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTES IN ARMENIA COMPREHENSIVELY REFLECTED MARCH 1 NATIONAL TRAGEDY: ‘HERITAGE’ PARTY LEADER

arminfo
2008-04-30 11:55:00

ArmInfo. PACE Resolution N1609 about functioning of democratic
institutes in Armenia, adopted on April 17, has comprehensively
reflected March 1 national tragedy’, "Heritage" oppositional party
leader Raffi Hovannisian told journalists today in the National
press-club.

He said that the problems, reflected in the document, aroused far
before their discussion in Strasbourg, so the Resolution is of "pure
Armenian origin". "By the way, members of the National Assembly’s
delegation to PACE from the ruling parties took an active part
in development of the document and voted for it by themselves",
R. Hovannisian said. The oppositionist said that the Resolution
N1609 clearly indicates the ways of overcoming the all-national
crisis. In particular, the European community, within the frames of the
liabilities assumed by Armenia, gave only two months to our country
to fully recover the freedom for holding meetings and rallies, to
remove all the restrictions of the freedom of speech, to set free the
persons persecuted for their political views and active expression of
the civil position. "Only in case of fulfillment of these requirements
one may approach overcoming of the dividing line between the people
and the authorities", R. Hovannisian said.

ARMENIA TO FOLLOW ENERGY SECURITY IMPROVEMENT POLICY

ARKA
April 30, 2008

YEREVAN, April 30. /ARKA/. Armenian government policy will aim at
increasing energy safety level, says the draft government program
for 2008-2012 submitted for consideration of the country’s National
Assembly.

The document provides for expansion of energy import routes and
power production fields, integration in the regional energy system,
promotion of energy system development with minimal expenses through
introduction of modern equipment, reliability of power supplies and
environmental protection.

Credit funds from foreign governments and international donors will
be directed to change of generation and modernization of production
facilities, says the draft. In this matter, the government will aim
at reduction of the state involvement and application of various
mechanisms to attract private investments.

The document attaches importance to creation of new nuclear power
facilities along with improvement in safety of the second unit
of Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) and preparations for its
decommissioning. Importance will be attached also to scientific and
engineering research to reveal alternative energy sources.

The draft government program stresses the importance of expansion of
gas network in the country, keeping up with maintenance safety rules,
as well as to promotion of private investments to ensure energy
savings through introduction of more efficient heating systems.

In terms of reasonable maintenance of natural resources the government
aims at expanding geological prospecting volumes, ensuring protection,
restoration, reproduction and efficient use of natural resources,
including water.

CITIZENS SUGGESTIONS ON GOVERNMENT PROGRAM POSTED ON OFFICIAL SITE

ARKA
April 29, 2008

YEREVAN, April 29. /ARKA/. Views and proposals made by citizens on
the draft government program approved by the government yesterday
have been posted on the official website of the Armenian Government –
, the government press service reported.

The suggestions are posted under "Programs" section of the site,
the Press Service said.

The draft government program is currently under consideration of the
country’s parliament.

Under the draft government program, 8-10% GDP growth is to be provided
in 2008-2012. The draft program provides also for 10% increase in
annual investments and substantial reduction in disproportionate
development of the regions. The poverty level is expected to be
reduced down below 11.2% and the extreme poverty below 1.6%.

The provisions of Armenia’s National Security Strategy and Poverty
Reduction Strategic program are taken into account in developing
the government program. The government program includes also election
campaign provisions of the country’s president and the basic provisions
of coalition parties – Republican Party of Armenia, Prospering Armenia,
Orinats Yerkir and Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutiun.

TURKISH PARLIAMENT PASSES AMENDMENTS TO ARTICLE 301

PanARMENIAN.Net
30.04.2008 12:11 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Turkish parliament Wednesday passed a
long-awaited amendment to a law penalizing insults to "Turkishness"
that has drawn strong EU criticism as a threat to free speech in
the country.

The amendment, softening article 301 of the penal code, was adopted
with the support of 250 MPs in the 550-member house at the end of
an eight-hour debate that started Tuesday afternoon and continued
throughout the night amid fierce opposition from nationalist deputies.

Under the amendment, "Turkishness" – a term criticized as too broad
and vague – was replaced with the "Turkish nation" and the envisaged
jail term decreased from three to two years, allowing the sentence
to be suspended or converted to a fine.

In a bid to make trials under the law more difficult, the provision
now requires the justice minister’s approval before prosecutors can
launch cases. Also, a section that called for increased sanctions
for such crimes committed abroad was removed from the law.

Dozens of intellectuals, including 2006 Nobel literature laureate Orhan
Pamuk, have been tried under article 301 and although some have been
convicted, – including slain ethnic Armenian journalist Hrant Dink –
their sentences were suspended and no one has been jailed so far.

The article has mainly targeted people contesting the official line on
the World War I massacres of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire, which,
much to Turkey’s ire, many countries have recognized as Genocide.

The European Union, which Turkey is seeking to join, has long
criticized the law as a threat to freedom of speech.

European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso said during a visit to
Ankara earlier this month that the amendment plan was "a step in the
right direction."

The many critics of the article argue that the revision is inadequate
and the provision should be scrapped altogether from the penal code.

The EU has repeatedly warned Turkey that respect for free speech will
be a test of its commitment to align with the bloc’s democracy norms.

Meanwhile, Turkish opposition describes the motion as fawning upon
the European Union.

Turkey has so far opened accession talks in only six of the 35 policy
areas that candidates are required to complete amid a row over the
Mediterranean island of Cyprus and strong opposition to its membership
in some EU countries, the AFP reports.

ASSETS OF VTB BANK (ARMENIA) GROW 22.7% OVER 1ST Q TO AMD 84.9BLN

ARKA
April 30, 2008

YEREVAN, April 29. /ARKA/. Assets of VTB Bank (Armenia) has grown
22.7% over the first quarter to AMD 84.9bln, Valery Ovsyannikov,
general director and chairman of the directorial board of the bank,
said on Tuesday.

"The bank’s credit portfolio reached AMD 45.1 billion after growing
12% over the quarter and liabilities totaled AMD 63.5 billion after
rising 31%", he said.

Ovsyannikov said that the bank ranked seventh to ninth on various
indicators in the previous year. Shareholders were unhappy about such
a result.

However, later that year and earlier this year the bank firmly occupied
the 4th position on assets, credit portfolio and liabilities.

Ovsyannikov said if things keeps running this way, the bank will be
among three leaders by late 2008.

VTB Bank Armenia (former Armenian Savings Bank) was established
in 1923.

Russian VTB Bank is the only shareholder of VTB Bank Armenia.

The bank’s assets totaled AMD 69.1 billion, credit portfolio AMD 40.2
billion and liabilities AMD 48.4 billion.

VTB Bank Armenia has 89 branches in Armenia, provinces and
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. ($1 = AMD 308.17).

ARMENIA’S VTB BANK RECORDS 3.2% TOTAL CAPITAL GROWTH IN 1ST Q, 2008

ARKA
April 29, 2008

YEREVAN, April 29. /ARKA/. The total capital of VTB Bank Armenia
in 2008 increased 3.2% and reached AMD 21.4bln, Valery Ovsyannikov,
Director General of VTB Bank Armenia, told reporters. The net profit
of the bank totalled AMD 624mln for the first three months of this
year ensuring close to 390% growth as compared to the last quarter of
2007. The business plan of the bank for 2008 stipulates a four-fold
profit growth, Ovsyannikov said.

The Bank added over $20mln to its authorized capital in late 2007
in order to enhance finances for corporate clients. At the moment,
the shareholders are not planning to increase the authorised capital
further, but may increase the volumes of financing.

VTB Bank Armenia (formerly Armenian Savings Bank) was founded in
1923. It used to be part of the USSR State Savings Bank before
1993. 100% shares of the VTB Bank Armenia belong to Russian VTB.

As of March 31 2008, the bank’s assets totalled AMD 84bln, total
capital – AMD 21.4bln, authorized capital – and AMD 13.9bln. The
ban’s profit was AMD 624,3mln in the first quarter of 2008 and the
unappropriated retained profit totalled AMD 2.9bln.

VTB Bank Armenia has the widest branch network in Armenia – a total
of 89 branches operating in Yerevan, all the other region of Armenia,
and in NKR ($1 – AMD 308.17).

HEAD OF FRENCH BANKING GROUP CONGRATULATES ARMENIAN PREMIER

ARKA
April 29, 2008

YEREVAN, April 29. /ARKA/. The President of Credit Agricole French
banking group Rene Caron congratulated Tigran Sargsian on his
appointment as premier of the country.

Tigran Sargsian, previously the president of the Central Bank of
Armenia, was appointed as Premier of Armenia on April 9.

Caron stressed the group had the opportunity to see professional skills
of Sargsian, his ability to listen to people. During Sargsian’s tenure,
the Central Bank and Armenia’s banking system achieved great progress,
Caron said.

According to him, Armenian Premier is well aware of the role of Credit
Agricole in establishment and development of Armenian ACBA-Credit
Agricole Bank.

Caron conveyed his best wishes to the new premier.

The ACBA-Credit Agricole Bank CJSC (formerly the Agricultural
Cooperative Bank of Armenia) was established in 1995 and obtained a
full banking license on March 29, 1996. The bank was founded within
the framework of TACIS project of European Union and was based on
the organization structure of European co-operative banks.

In 2006 Credit Agricole S.A., France, made an investment in ACBA’s
capital and the Bank was renamed and reorganised into ACBA-Credit
Agricole Bank. At present Credit Agricole S.A. is the main
shareholder holding 28% of shares (with the remaining stock owned by
10 Agricultural Cooperative Regional Unions).