Month: July 2009

DIASPORA IS ARMENIA’S RICHEST RESOURCE

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
30.07.2009 22:16 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian President Serzh Sarsgyan met Thursday
with participants of Come Home program implemented by the RA Ministry
of Diaspora.

He hailed the young people’s decision to visit their historic homeland.

"Diaspora is a bridge and Armenia’s richest resource. It’s Armenia’s
mouthpiece in other countries. Now we use only a part of the existing
potential but I am confident that our homeland will be stronger one
day and you will see it," the President said.

The program participants shared their impressions about Armenia. Most
of them said they wish to acquire Armenian citizenship.

ARMENIAN ELECTED TO KURDISTAN PARLIAMENT

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
31.07.2009 11:20 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ An Armenian was elected to the parliament of
Kurdistan.

Aram Shahin Bakoyan, a member of Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP)
led by Masoud Barzani, will have a mandate in the 111-seat parliament.

Chairman of the central national administration of Iraq, Paruyr
Hakopian said all Armenian candidates are Kurdish-speaking. "Aram
Shahin is a native of Artsruk. He used to fight in Barzani’s guerilla
units," he said, kurdistan.ru reports.

YOUNG ARMENIAN SINGER WINS PONTIAN ARENA CONTEST

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
31.07.2009 11:27 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ 13-year old singer from Leningrad oblast of Russia,
Berta Puzyan, won Pontian Arena international contest which brought
together young participants from 15 countries.

Berta Puzyan won the hearts of the jury by a cappella performance of
an old Armenian song.

Besides getting the main prize, she was invited to study in Kyiv
conservatoire, Radio and TV Academy and the Institute of Theater Art.

Berta is already a winner of numerous Russian and regional festivals,
Analitika.at.ua reported.

IFC PLANS INVESTMENTS IN RA MORTGAGE MARKET

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
31.07.2009 11:31 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan met
Thursday with IFC Vice President for Financial Markets, Funds,
and Africa Jyrki Koskelo to discuss the programs the IFC plans to
implement in the republic, specifically mortgage market development,
renewable energy, financial sector, IT and healthcare.

The Armenian PM voiced hope that cooperation with the International
Financial Corporation will be mutually beneficial and continuous.

NEW NATO SECRETARY GENERAL TO TAKE UP OFFICE

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
31.07.2009 12:06 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Mr. Anders Fogh Rasmussen first day at NATO HQ
will be on Monday 3rd August. Upon arrival he will be greeted by the
Deputy Secretary General, Ambassador Claudio Bisogniero, Ambassador
Per Poulsen-Hansen, the Dean of the Council and Admiral Giampaolo di
Paola, Chairman of the Military Committee.

On Tuesday 4th August Mr. Rasmussen will chair his first North Atlantic
Council Meeting.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RECONSTRUCTED RAILWAY STATION OPENS IN ARMENIA’S MASIS CITY

ARKA
July 31, 2009

YEREVAN, July 31. /ARKA/. The restored railway station of the South
Caucasus Railways (SCR) in Armenia’s Masis city resumed its activities
on Friday.

The reconstructed station has changed its destination, due to
improvements in the railway scheme.

"This is the most important railway station in Armenia, since it has
become a checkpoint for trains traveling five different destinations,"
said Sergey Harutyunyan, SCR chief engineer.

The specialist believes the reconstructed station will help save
on material expenditures and fix the arrivals/departures schedule
of trains.

According to Harutyunyan, some 55mln drams were spent on the
reconstruction of the railway station, with around 20mln drams being
allocated for restoration of rail facilities.

"All those expenditures have been included in the 2009 investment
program and the first-half expenses are in line with the SCR budget,"
the SCR chief engineer was quoted as saying.

In his turn, SCR Deputy General Director Marat Khakov said the station
opens on the Railroaders’ Day marked on August 2 this year.

"Traditionally, we meet with veteran railroaders, but we have changed
the meeting format. It will take place in Masis, not in Yerevan,
to show what SCR is doing now and what the current challenges are,"
Khakov said.

"The veterans will prompt us what to20focus on," he continued.

The SCR deputy general director believes the opening of the station
will become the first landmark event on the Railroaders’ Day.

The newly-reconstructed Ayrum-based railway station will also resume
its activities soon. A railway museum will open its doors in Yerevan
on Friday.

On 1 June 2008, SCR, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Russian Railways,
received property owned by Armenian Railways (under the February 13,
2008 concession agreement the parties concluded for 30 years, with
a right of extension for another 20 years after the first 20 years
of operation). The company is to invest 2.6bln Russian rubles in
Armenia’s railway system.

INTERNATIONAL LOANS RECEIVED BY ARMENIA TO BE USED FOR SOCIAL PROGRAMS

ARKA
July 30, 2009

YEREVAN, July 30. /ARKA/. International loans attracted by Armenia will
be used to implement social programs particularly for development of
infrastructures, Armenian Minister of Economy Nerses Yeritsyan told
journalists Thursday

According to Yeritsyan, implementation of infrastructure projects and
road construction in particular will help to create a considerable
number of new jobs.

Yeritsyan said that the ministry is implementing its own projects
within the government budget scope.

The budget of the ministry has not been increased for the projects: the
ministry just re-distributes some funds to help implement anti-crisis
measures, the Minister said.

Under anti-crisis assistance programs, Armenia is to receive $545
million from the World Bank for four years, $823 million from the IMF,
$140 million from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for two years and
$500 million from Russia.

So far Armenia has received from the ADB a total of $381 million in
a form of financial assistance.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

IFC TO BOOST ARMENIA’S INVESTMENT MARKET

ARKA
July 30, 2009

YEREVAN, July 30. /ARKA/. The International Financial Corporation (IFC)
plans to invest in Armenia’s mortgage market, offering its support
to boost the country’s hydropower engineering and financial sector,
IFC Vice President Yurki Koskelo said today during his meeting with
RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan.

The RA Government’s press service quoted the premier as saying the
IFC programs in Armenia would be a success.

The IFC vice president pointed out effective projects in Armenia’s
mining industry, information technologies and healthcare.

In his turn, Sargsyan stressed the need for exchanging experience with
IFC specialists, hoping for sustainable and long-lasting cooperation
between Armenia and IFC.

PRESIDENT OF ARMENIA: SOME TURKISH OFFICIALS TRYING TO MAKE PRECONDITIONS AFTER WE HAVE COORDINATED TWO DOCUMENTS WITH TURKEY

ArmInfo
2009-07-31 13:36:00

ArmInfo. "Despite historical problems – Genocide of Armenians,
Armenia has displayed good will and has done its best to normalize the
Armenian-Turkish relations. Armenia proved strong enough to propose
the Turkish authorities to establish diplomatic relations and open
borders without any preconditions and then study any issue we will
consider convenient," President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan told the
participants in the program "Return Home" organized by the Armenian
Diaspora Ministry on the Lake Sevan.

In response to the question by a participant from Turkey, the
president said: "We had been negotiating with Turkey in rather
pleasant atmosphere for the whole year. We have coordinated two
documents. Afterwards some Turkish officials tried to propose us
preconditions and link the Armenian-Turkish relations with the Karabakh
conflict and the Armenian-Azerbaijani relations," the president
said. He called any preconditions inadmissible to Armenia. "We are
well aware that Turkey is a big and powerful state and we are well
aware of Turkey’s role in our region and in the world.

Nevertheless, Turks should admit the fact that we are Armenians
and we are an independent country", Serzh Sargsyan said. Turks
should realize that speaking of preconditions in the 21st century
is inadmissible. "Any precondition or hardline approach leads to
counteraction", the president said.

In addition Serzh Sargsyan declared: "I am very glad to see that
the Armenians residing in Turkey have preserved their language and
identity. The stronger is the Republic of Armenia, the stronger is
the Armenian genius in other states. It is one of our goals."

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

NAGORNY KARABAKH LEGAL SUCCESSOR OF ARMENIAN PRINCIPALITIES EXISTING IN ITS TERRITORY OVER CENTURIES: ARMENIAN PUBLIC COUNCIL REP.

ArmInfo
2009-07-31 14:50:00

ArmInfo. The Nagorny Karabakh Republic is the legal successor of the
Armenian principalities existing in its territory over centuries,
Chairman of the Armenian Public Council for Civil Society Formation
Hovhanness Hovhanissyan said at a press conference on Friday. "Talks on
"occupation of Azerbaijani territories" are groundless since Azerbaijan
had once misappropriated the original territories of Artsakh due to
the decision by the Caucasian Bureau and created an autonomous region
only in part of Artsakh", Hovhannissyan says. He is sure that it is
Azerbaijan that is currently occupying a series of populated areas
in Mardakert region and the Shahumian region.

The victory in the war unleashed by Azerbaijan made it possible to
partially restore the historical justice. "The international community
must consider Nagorny Karabakh in a broader context reckoning with
the historical justice.

No return of the territories of de-facto sovereign Nagorny Karabakh
Republic is possible ", he says.