Month: September 2009

WB LOAN FUNDS TO REDUCE HARVESTING LOSSES UP TO 40 PER CENT

PanARMENIAN.Net
31.08.2009 13:06 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Additional WB funding, intended for the rural roads
reconstruction will help reduce harvesting losses to 40 per cent ,
Aristomene Varoudakis , the head of WB Yerevan office, told a press
conference on Monday. "The program will help farmers to reduce crop
losses up to 40 per cent on the way of delivering products to the
market, reduce transport costs, which will result in increased income,"
he said, adding that Armenia’s rural roads in the regions are in poor
condition, which result in significant losses in the economy.

The Executive Board of the World Bank on August 27 approved an
additional loan funds for Armenia in the amount of 36,6 million USD for
"Lifeline Roads Improvement Project". Credit funds will be provided at
the 25- year period, with a 10-year grace period with the crediting
rate Libor. Construction works, he said, will be launched in late
September 2009 and will be completed by November 2010. "Upon completion
of construction works about 140km of rural roads in seven regions of
Armenia will be repaired," the head of WB Yerevan office said.

Mr. Varoudakis stressed that the restoration of rural roads will
facilitate the creation of temporary jobs that will mitigate the
impact of the global crisis on the Armenian economy.

ARMENIAN-TURKISH RECONCILIATION PRESSURED FROM OUTSIDE

PanARMENIAN.Net
31.08.2009 13:42 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "In the case of the Armenian-Turkish relations the
external pressure is felt, especially on Turkey, because it was the
first to unilaterally close the border, while Armenia has always
advocated the opening of the border without any preconditions,"
Ruben Melkonyan , turkologist and lecturer of Turkic Chair at the
Yerevan State University, told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

According to him, being a very experienced in diplomacy Turkey is
still successfully maneuvering in the international arena, and it
manages to neutralize the external pressure.

In respect to opening the border, Mr. Melkonyan said that not only
the mood of Armenia’s public must be taken into account, but also the
interests of Diaspora. "In this context, the position of Diaspora is
more rigid than that of the public of Armenia, which has a logical
explanation. The Armenian community, on the contrary, has a very
superficial understanding of Turkey, the Turkish public and the pluses
and minuses of an open border as a whole," Mr. Melkonyan added.

When asked about the possible economic consequences of the open
borders, he stressed, that since the Armenian economy has a very
large agrarian industry, Armenia might not compete with Turkey,
having more developed agricultural production

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

WB: RECESSION OF ARMENIAN ECONOMY SUSPENDS

PanARMENIAN.Net
31.08.2009 14:15 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Decline of Armenia’s economy within June-July was
suspended, Aristomene Varoudakis , the head of World Bank Yerevan
Office, said. "Despite the significant slowdown of the economy, certain
positive trends in July compared with June, are encouraging," he said.

"Many of the changes are temporary in nature, but in general it
appears that the decline of the economy stalled," Mr. Varoudakis
said. According to him, in July compared to June 2009, construction
industry turnover (the worst affected sphere) increased by 4,5 per
cent, industrial production grew by 6 per cent, electricity output
grew by 2 per cent.

As for inflation, as the World Bank projects, at the end of the year
it will amount to about 6 per cent.

DEHLI TO KEEP ARMENIAN-INDIAN RELATIONS IN THE SPOTLIGHT

PanARMENIAN.Net
31.08.2009 16:04 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Upon ending his diplomatic mission, Armenian
Ambassador to India Ashot Kocharyan met with senior Indian officials,
including Vice President Hamid Ansari, chief Minister Delhi Sheila,
State Minister of External Affairs Makharan Prinit Kauri and Deputy
Foreign Minister, Head of Armenian-Indian Intergovernmental Committee
Neelakantan Ravi.

During the meetings, Ashot Kocharyan said that various Armenian-Indian
programs had been implemented in spheres of agriculture, chemical
production, education and high technologies, and good circulation
volumes had increased several times. Stressing Armenian community’s
role in development and strengthening of Armenian-Indian relations,
Armenian diplomat highly appreciated Indian authorities’ considerate
attitude to Indian-Armenians and Armenian historical-cultural monuments
situated on country’s territory.

Indian side stressed Ashot Kocharyan’s investment in the development
of bilateral ties. Official Dehli will keep Armenian-Indian relations
in the spotlight, RA MFA press service reports.

SYNOPSYS DECLARES INCOME FOR THIRD QUARTER OF FISCAL YEAR 2009

PanARMENIAN.Net
31.08.2009 16:24 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Synopsys declared income, amounted to $ 345.2
million for the third quarter of fiscal year of 2009, press service
of the Synopsys-Armenia told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

According to the data, based on the Generally Accepted Accounting
Principles (GAAP), net income in the third quarter of fiscal year 2009
totaled $ 47.4 million – $ 0.32 per share, against $ 57.7 million –
$ 0 39 per share over the same period in 2008. Company’s revenue for
the third quarter of last year was $ 344.1 million

According to the data, not based on the GAAP standards, net income
for the third quarter of fiscal year 2009 totaled $ 68.3 million,
or $ 0.47 per share, against $ 64.5 million, or $ 0.44 per share for
the same period of last year.

YERABLUR TO HOST CEREMONY DEDICATED TO NKR INDEPENDENCE DAY

PanARMENIAN.Net
31.08.2009 16:10 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Tomorrow, on September 1, Yerablur pantheon in
Yerevan will host a ceremony dedicated to NKR independence day,
reported Colonel Seyran Shahsuvaryan, Press Secretary of RA Defense
Ministry.

The event will be attended by RA Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan, YSU
Rector Aram Simonyan, students from higher educational institutions
and members of families of dead freedom fighters.

SUMMER INSPIRATION – KOTAYK REGION

PanARMENIAN.Net
31.08.2009 16:34 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Within the framework of the Summer Inspiration
project, VivaCell-MTS has organized its regular exhibition contest
in Kptayk region.

"The gifted young children this project reveals in the regions give
us a stimulus to appear with new initiatives to promote their talents
for the sake of our common brighter future. The more energy, effort,
and knowledge we invest in them today, the more payback we will get
tomorrow," said VivaCell-MTS General Manager Ralph Yirikian.

The Summer Inspiration project started on August 19 in Vanadzor,
Lori region, and has already been held in Aragatsotn, Armavir,
Ararat, Vayots Dzor, and Syunik regions, with the events to follow
in Gegharkunik, Shirak, and Tavush in the nearest future.

Summer Inspiration project aims at revealing and promoting the
creativity of young children talents in the regions of Armenia. The
vivid imagination of a child is the theme for the contest. The
children’s artwork is judged on originality, clear expression,
and reflections of cultural traditions in the work of art. Art is
presented in a variety of mediums including folk dance, singing,
painting, needlework, acting, craft and photography.

The artworks should be associated with VivaCell-MTS or display
VivaCell-MTS brand logo.

KURDISH LEADER OFFERS HIS SOLUTION TO KURDISH PROBLEM

PanARMENIAN.Net
31.08.2009 16:39 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Sentenced in a Turkish prison the Leader of
Kurdistan Workers Party Abdullah Ocalan said that his proposed road
map to resolve the Kurdish problem is democratic and unifying; not
divisive as Turkey’s nationalist opposition party claims, a Turkish
newspaper said. "The road is unifying, and is complementary . It
did not give any reason for disagreement. Common land is Turkey and
Kurdistan. Kurds will consider both Kurdistan and Turkey as their
homeland, " the Kurdish leader said. Ocalan said that the road map
he put forward consists of 760 pages.

"My model of solutions is following: on the one hand there will be
the state (Turkish), on the other – democratic Kurdish nation. The
Kurds recognize the existence of the state, the state, in turn,
recognizes the democratic right of Kurds to exist as a nation,"
Radikal quoted Ocalan.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

FIRST STAGE OF CSTO JOINT TRAININGS OVER

PanARMENIAN.Net
31.08.2009 16:41 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The basic goals and objectives of the first stage of
CSTO joint trainings are met, CSTO Secretary General Nikolay Borduzha
said. "The first stage devoted, inter alia, to the use of Collective
Rapid Reaction Forces (CRRF) enabled us to elaborate an algorithm of
actions to resist possible tensions in CSTO region. At this stage,
direct participants gained a good experience of working in complex
and rapidly changing atmosphere," Borduzha noted.

Second and third stages of trainings are due in Belarus, on September
19-28 and October 2-15 respectively. Trainings will involve 7 thousand
servicemen, 120 tanks, over 200 IFVs and APCs as well as more than
40 airlines and helicopters, Russian media report.

NATO TO STRENGTHEN CONTROL OVER IRAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
31.08.2009 17:00 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ NATO has adopted a decision on strengthening
control over Iran’s activities, in connection with the latter’s
decision to proceed with its nuclear program and extend military
potential. Although alliance did not express special interest in
plans for military resolution of Iranian conflict, alliance started
discussion over operation’s influence on alliance structures and
facility construction.

"Iranian missiles can now reach Israel, however, Islamic Republic
still sticks to the idea of developing its activities. We find that
Iranian missiles with nuclear warheads will, in the near future,
fly to Europe," MIGnews quotes NATO representative as saying.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress