Month: May 2008

ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER LEAVING FOR BELARUS

AZG Armenian Daily
22/05/2008

Governmental

Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Sarkisian is leaving for Minsk,
Belarus, in order to take part in the successive meeting of the
Prime Ministers of CIS states for the first time in his career. The
Prime Minister is to be accompanied by a delegation consisted of
Chief of Governmental Staff Gegam Garibjanian, Armenia’s permanent
representative at CIS charter Oleg Yesayan, Armenia’s representative
at CIS economy council Artak Vardanian, and other officials.

The general topics of the CIS Prime Ministers’ meeting shall be the
transportation, food safety and meteorology issues.

DAVID HOVHANNISIAN: "ARMENIAN-TURKISH CONCILIATION COMMISSION WAS OF MERE FORMAL CHARACTER"

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 21, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 21, NOYAN TAPAN. It is not advantageous for Turkey
to establish relations with Armenia. This opinion was expressed
by David Hovhannisian, the Head of the Center for Civilization and
Cultural Researches of the Yerevan State University and a member of the
Armenian-Turkish Conciliation Commission before, at the international
conference dedicated to the Armenian-Turkish relations on May 20.

According to him, Turkey is seeking to take a central position for
the infrastructures, energy carriers and financial flows crossing
the region.

The isolation of Armenia from regional programs serves that purpose
as it decreases the role of Russia in the region. D. Hovhannisian
mentioned that the activities of the Armenian-Turkish Conciliation
Commission was of mere formal character.

GOVERNMENT TO WORK OUT COMPLEX PROGRAM ON TRANSPORT PROBLEMS IN YEREVAN

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 21, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 21, NOYAN TAPAN. Traffic problems in Yerevan make citizens
nervous and cause serious economic damage to the state, the prime
minister Tigran Sargsian said when responding to questions in the
parliament on May 21. According to him, the situation is worrying
and requires urgent solutions.

With this aim all the responsible departments were given instructions
to develop proposals, based on which a complex program will be worked
out. The government will receive the World Bank’s technical assistance
for traffic organization. As regards problems with organization
of police work, the prime minister said that the use of modern
technologies will allow to make traffic in Yerevan more transparent
and controllable.

In the words of T. Sargsian, one of the government’s priorities
is proportional territorial development. Despite the fact that one
third of the country’s population lives in Yerevan, 90% of the trade
turnover and two thirds of economic activity are concentrated in the
capital city. This excessive concentration has created problems both
for Armenia and Yerevan.

Numerous functions have been centralized in Yerevan, and part of
these functions should be transferred to marzes (provinces).

The prime minister said that the government will implement programs
in this direction as well. In particular, outgoing sessions of
the government will be held, during which measures on development
of marzes and "unloading" of Yerevan will be discussed with local
authorities. Adoption of a law on Yerevan and a legislative package
on improving the activities of local government bodies will also help
with solution of the indicated problems.

MINISTRY OF ECONOMY TAKES STEPS ON CREATION OF VENTURE FUND

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 21, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 21, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA ministry of economy has
developed a draft document, in which, based on experience of Poland
and Hungary, the idea of creating a venture fund with mixed capital
is put forward. The draft has not yet been discussed by the sector’s
companies and the Armenian government, the RA minister of economy
Nerses Yeritsian said when presenting, at the invitation of the Club
of Economic Journalists, the economic provisions of the 2008-2012
program of the Armenian government.

He reminded about the provision of the draft concept of development of
Armenia’s IT sector, according to which a venture fund with capital
of up to 700 mln dollars shall operate in the IT sector of Armenia
10 years after the concept’s adoption.

In accordance with international experience, the state’s share makes
up to 20% of the venture funds in various sectors, while the remaining
share is private. The ministry’s research showed that the Armenian
venture fund should have capital of at least 30 mln dollars in order
to have skilful management and ensure the profit of venture financing.

N. Yeritsian said that a conference on development of Armenia’s IT
sector will be held in Silicon Valley in October 2008. The issue of
an Armenian venture fund will also be considered at the event. "The
subject of investors’ interest may be the realization of the whole
concept of IT sector’s development through business participation
rather than of the idea of a venture fund. At the moment there is
some optimism regarding this issue," he said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

MINISTER OF ECONOMY: AMBITIOUS PROGRAMS OF GOVERNMENT WILL BE IMPLEMENTED IN CASE OF COOPERATION OF EXECUTIVE BODY AND VARIOUS SECTIONS OF SOCIETY

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 21, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 21, NOYAN TAPAN. "The society is concerned about how
realistic the Armenian government’s programs are and how these programs
will be implemented. I think that in terms of calculation of resources,
the goals of the programs are realistic but they will be accessible
in case of participatory cooperation of the Armenian government and
the participants in these programs, various sections of the society,
which in its turn will contribute to an increase of resources for
the programs’ implementation," the RA minister of economy Nerses
Yeritsian said on May 21 when presenting, at the invitation of
the Club of Economic Journalists, the economic provisions of the
2008-2012 RA government program which was recently approved by the
National Assembly.

In his words, international experience also shows that a participatory
process is more efficient in case of implementation of ambitious
projects.

"People should realize how the changes will affect them," the minister
said, adding that the ministry of economy should play a serious role
in at least two of the 5 national projects subject to implementation
– the project of the Business Environment Superiority Center and the
tourism development project.

According to the speaker, in 2008 the ministry of economy will
formulate the conceptual approaches to solution of the RA government
program’s issues related to the ministry, indicating the results and
the extent of their influence on the society. The matter concerns
innovation policy, support for small and medium business, copyright
and consumer rights protection, and industrial policy. N. Yeritsian
said that in 2008 "the ministry will try to form the frame of the
economic policy, especially microeconomic policy". The costs of
various national economic programs will be calculated and they will
be compared with other programs in order to decide the sequence of
their implementation. This work will be combined with reforms of the
ministry’s governance system. "They should be linked to annual programs
of the ministry and its strategy which is now being developed,"
N. Yeritsian said.

He added that one of the goals of improving the business environment
in Armenia is to transfer businessman-state relations to the electronic
sphere.

It is envisaged developing a major program on creation of
infrastructures of the innovation economy, as well as one or two
respective action plans. One of them will be related to Gyumri
technopark, another – to formation of the health center of oncology
and radiology.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

MIKAEL DANIELIAN SHOT

A1+
[05:53 pm] 21 May, 2008

Today about 3:00 an unknown person fired a shot at the chairman of
the Helsinki Association-Armenia Mikael Danielian on Terian Street,
Yerevan. According to Danielian’s friend they had hardly stopped
under a traffic light when Danielian noticed a friend walking along
the pavement. He stretched out to salute him.

Just at that moment a BMW began honking continuously from behind. In
reply to Danielian’s inquiries a fellow got off the BMW and started
railing at the human rights activist and calling him a CIA "agent"
who defends the interests of gays. Afterwards, he took out a gun and
shot at Danielian’s chest. Fortunately, the wound wasn’t serious as
according to the preliminary investigation the criminal had shot from
a pneumatic gun.

Wounded Danielian had been taken to the police department of Yerevan’s
central Kentron district before an ambulance arrived. Danielian’s
friend informed A1+ that the moment Danielian was being taken to the
police department the criminals were still on the spot.

Witnesses say that the suspect was the former leader of the Armenian
Progressive Party Tigran Urikhanian who was taken to a police station.

ECONOMIST AND POLITICAL FIGURE EDUARD AGHAJANOV DIES OF APOPLEXY OF HEART

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 21, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 21, NOYAN TAPAN. Economist Eduard Aghajanov, the
former Head of the State Statistics Committee and a member of the
Democratic Way party for the recent years, died on May 19 evening from
apoplexy of the heart at the age of 56. He was in the first three
of the proportional list of the Democratic Way party in the latest
parliamentary elections. Eduard Aghajanov often made speeches about
his economic analyses for the public and journalists. His analyses
were peculiar with their professional quality, they often became
valuable counterbalance for official viewpoints.

415 PEDIGREE CALVES WITH HIGH MILK YIELD CAPACITY TO BE IMPORTED FROM EUROPE INTO ARMENIA THIS YEAR

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 21, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 21, NOYAN TAPAN. 415 Holstein, Simmental and Schviz
pedigree calves with a high milk yield capacity will be imported this
year from Europe into Armenia with state budgetary allocations of
500 mln drams (about 1.6 mln YSD). NT correspondent was informed by
the head of the Cattle Breeding and Pedigree Stock Farming Department
of the RA Ministry of Agriculture Ashot Hovhannisian that as of May
8, 258 calves were already brought into Armenia and given to 4 big
cattle breeding farms of the country. In his words, another group of
157 calves will be imported into Armenia in June.

In his words, the calves will be leased to farms. In particular,
farmers will have to pay the cost of animals during 4 years: 10%
of the cost in the 1st year, 20% – in the 2nd, 30% in the 3rd year
and 40% – in the 4th year.

The department head said that big farmers of Armenia have expressed
an intention to import another 136 pedigree calves with their own
resources.

The ministry of agriculture will assist the farmers with selecting
the calves on the spot and transporting them.

According to him, 196 calves were imported into Armenia in 2007. Their
average daily milk yield made 23-25 kg, exceeding threefold the
average milk yield of domestically bred cows.

The government-approved Program on Cattle Breeding Development
envisages increasing the annual number of imported calves to two
thousand by 2015.
From: Baghdasarian

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLETES DISCUSSION OF 2007 STATE BUDGET’S EXECUTION

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 21, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 21, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA National Assembly on May 21
completed the discussion of the annual report on execution of the
2007 state budget.

By the report, the actual revenues made 588 bln drams, the execution –
104.6% as compared with 2006, the growth made 33.2%. The expenditures
made 634.7 bln drams, the execution – 100.3%, the growth as compared
with 2006 – 31.9%. The deficit amounted to 46.7 bln drams, the
execution – 66.2%, the growth as compared with 2006 made 17.6%.

In his concluding speech the prime minister Tigran Sargsian thanked
the NA deputies for thier active discussions and assured them that
no comment and proposal has escaped the government’s attention. He
said that during discussions of the draft budget of next year, the
government will try to give detailed and exhaustive answers to all
the issues of interest to deputies.

The vote on the 2007 state budget’s execution will be held on May 22.

"Heritage" is the only faction that intends to vote against the
execution.

The faction’s representative Armen Martirosian explained their
position by the fact that the 2007 state budget failed to solve the
social problems of ordinary citizens and outline the steps for the
further economic development of Armenia.

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE DEDICATED TO WILLIAM SAROYAN’S 100th ANNIVERSARY TO BE HELD IN ARMENIA

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 21, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 21, NOYAN TAPAN. An international conference dedicated to
the 100th anniversary of great writer William Saroyan is envisaged to
be organized on October 6-10 in Armenia on the initiative of the RA
Ministry of Culture, Yerevan B. Brusov State Linguistic University,
and the Union of Writers of Armenia.

As Noyan Tapan correspondent was informed by the Public Relations
Department of the RA Ministry of Culture, the conference’s goal
is to cover different aspects of W. Saroyan’s creative heritage,
considering it as a cultural value.

Specialists from the RA National Academy of Sciences, Yerevan State
University, K. Abovian State Pedagogical University, V. Brusov State
Linguistic University, writers, specialists in Saroyan studies,
art critics will take part in the conference. Reports are planned
on a number of subjects: Saroyan’s Aestheticism, Armenia’s Fate in
Saroyan’s Creations, Saroyan and the American Literature of His Time,
Saroyan’s Language and Style, Saroyan’s Plays, Saroyan and Cinema.

Attaching importance to W. Saroyan’s literary heritage’s world
significance, the organizers wish to invite specialists from the
United States, Europe, CIS countries. The conference will proceed
both in Yerevan and in Tsakhkadzor, and the conference’s materials
will be published in an individual brochure.