Month: November 2009

THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM OF ARMENIA TO MEET EUROPEAN STANDARDS

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.11.2009 18:40 GMT+04:00

Wide-ranging educational reform program relevant to RA-EU partnership
to be carried out within 4 months. The decision was made November 6
at the meeting of the work group under chairmanship of the Secretary
of National Security Council Arthur Baghdasaryan . Reforms will be
aimed at bringing the system of vocational, secondary, higher and
postgraduate education in line with European standards.

It is expected to promote scientific cooperation and development
of a common strategic activities, participation of scientists in
educational programs of EU, etc.

ANCA: US ADMINISTRATION HAS TO PROTEST AGAINST SUDAN PRESIDENT’S UPCOMING VISIT TO TURKEY

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.11.2009 18:41 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
voiced the Armenian American community’s strong support for a human
rights statement, issued earlier today by a coalition of anti-Darfur
Genocide groups, calling upon the Obama-Biden Administration to
protest the upcoming state visit to Turkey of Sudan’s President,
indicted war-criminal Omar al-Bashir. The four organizations
joining together in making this declaration, the Center for American
Progress, Enough!, Save Darfur, and Genocide Intervention Network,
referencing al-Bashir’s upcoming visits to Ankara and Cairo, stressed
the importance of President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton
engaging in personal diplomacy at the highest level to ensure that a
wanted war criminal does not continue to travel with impunity to the
capitals of key U.S. allies. The failure to do so, they noted, would
"send a powerful message that the Administration isn’t serious about
implementing the Sudan strategy it just announced."

"We want to thank each of these organizations for their work in
demanding clear and determined American leadership in ending the
Darfur Genocide," said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA.

"There is today, sadly, no more striking example of how the brutal
cycle of genocide and denial feeds upon itself than the growing
diplomatic and military relationship between Turkey and Sudan."

Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir is scheduled to visit Turkey next
week to attend a summit of the Organization of the Islamic Conference
(OIC.) Turkish officials announced yesterday that they would not
act on an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant issued
against al-Bashir for war crimes.

The Ankara and Khartoum regimes have grown markedly closer over the
past two years, with Turkey continuing to supply lethal weaponry to
Sudan and increased trade between two the countries.

HSBC BANK ARMENIA CONTINUES "GREEN BANK" CAMPAIGN

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.11.2009 18:49 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ HSBC Bank Armenia cjsc has pledged to sponsor
planting up to 1000 trees in Yerevan to encourage its customers
to opt to receive their statements electronically and for signing
up to Personal Internet Banking services, thus helping to preserve
the environment.

Continuing the good tradition of tree planting initiated in 1996, on
November 8, HSBC Bank Armenia staff and their families will plant 500
trees in "Huisi Avan" residential community together with specialists
from Armenia Tree Project and community members.

Tree planting is only one aspect of a comprehensive "Green Bank"
campaign which the Bank has initiated. Following the launch of
Telephone Banking in March 2009 and Internet Banking in July 2009,
the availability of electronic statements is aimed at reducing paper
consumption and helping to preserve the environment.

"To further encourage our customers and community to use green
channels and sign up for Telephone or Internet Banking services and
switch to e-statements, today we go green with tree planting. It is
also important to mention that all HSBC Armenia staff do their daily
banking via direct channels, acting as role models for the community",
said Tim Slater, HSBC Bank Armenia Chief Executive Officer.

The area where the tree planting will take place was also chosen
with care. "Huisi Avan" is a shelter for 76 underprivileged Armenian
families, mainly refugees, with a minimum of three children. By
planting decorative trees and donating much needed fruit trees,
the Bank is helping to improve the lives of people in need.

CENTRAL BANK OF ARMENIA REGISTERED CREDIT UNION NEW CREDIT ORGANIZATION

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.11.2009 18:52 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Central Bank of Armenia has registered and licensed
a new universal credit organization CJSC "Credit Union", press service
of the Central Bank of Armenia reports. The decision was made at the
meeting of the Central Bank Board on November 6.

EU ADDRESSES PROTEST NOTE TO TURKEY

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.11.2009 18:57 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has
announced plans to attend an Organization of the Islamic Conference
(OIC) summit in Istanbul on Monday.

Turkey has received a request from the European Union to reconsider
its decision to invite Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir to
a meeting of Islamic countries, a Turkish foreign ministry official
said on Friday.

Bashir has announced plans to attend an Organization of the Islamic
Conference (OIC) summit in Istanbul on Monday.

The Turkish official, who is in Paris accompanying Turkey’s Foreign
Minister Ahmet Davutoglu during a state visit, showed the EU request
letter to Reuters, which reads: "The EU calls on Turkey to reconsider
its invitation to Bashir to attend the OIC meeting."

ARMENIA READY TO DEVELOP COOPERATION WITH NATO

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.11.2009 18:59 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ National Assembly Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan has
today received Robert Simmonms, NATO Secretary General’s Special
Representative for the South Caucasus.

Welcoming the guest, Armenian Parliament Speaker attached importance
to Armenia-NATO cooperation and reiterated Armenia’s willingness to
develop cooperation. Parties agreed that such cooperation should be
transparent and accessible to public. In that context, they considered
RA NA initiatives within NATO General Assembly’s format, as well
as current reforms in the sphere of establishing civil control over
Armenia’s armed forces.

Parties also touched upon regional security issues, RA NA press
service reports.

BUDAPEST TO HOST EXHIBITION OF MILITARY HISTORY OF ARMENIA AND HUNGARY

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.11.2009 19:03 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan on November 8
will leave for Hungary on a three-day stay, the Hungarian MTI agency
reports citing the press service of the President of Hungary.

The meeting of the Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Laszlo Solyom will
take place November 9, and a number of agreements will be signed. In
the evening, President of Armenia will meet with Hungarian Parliament
Speaker.

Meeting of the President of Armenia with Hungarian Prime Minister
Gordon Baynayi is scheduled for November 10, which will be followed
by an extended meeting with participation of Armenian and Hungarian
businessmen. The two Presidents will open an exhibition devoted to
military history of Armenia and Hungary.

WSJ: AT BEST, IT SEEMS TURKEY WILL BE AN UNRELIABLE PARTNER

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.11.2009 19:20 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The European Union has long debated the merits of
Turkish EU membership. But now, nearly a decade after Islamists took
the reins of power in Ankara, the central question is no longer
whether Turkey should be integrated into Europe’s economic and
political structure, but rather whether Turkey should remain a part
of the Western defense structure, The Wall Street Journal’s David
Schenker says in an article titled A NATO without Turkey?

According to author, "recent developments suggest that while Turkey’s
military leadership remains committed to the state’s secular, Western
orientation and the defining principles of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization, the civilian Islamist government led by the Justice
and Development Party (AKP) seems to have different ideas. Ankara
is increasingly pursuing illiberal policies at home, for instance
by attacking independent media, while aligning itself with militant,
anti-western Middle East regimes abroad."

"The latest demonstration of Ankara’s political shift was its
cancellation last month of Israel’s long-standing participation in NATO
military exercises in Turkey. Even worse, on the same day Israel was
disinvited, Turkey announced imminent military exercises with Syria,
a member of the U.S. list of "State Sponsors of Terrorism."

These developments came just weeks after Ankara and Damascus
established a "senior strategic cooperation council." These
developments could signal the beginning of the end of Turkey’s close
military and economic cooperation with the Jewish state. While it’s
still too early to write Turkey out of NATO, in the not so distant
future, the alliance will reach a decision point. In 2014, NATO’s next
generation fighter plane, the Joint Strike Fighter, will be delivered.

Given the direction of Turkish politics, serious questions must
be asked about whether the Islamist government in Ankara can be
trusted with the highly advanced technology. It’s time that NATO
start thinking about a worst case scenario in Turkey. For even if
the increasingly Islamist state remains a NATO partner, at best,
it seems Turkey will be an unreliable partner. Since the 1930s,
the country has been a model of modernization and moderation in the
Middle East. But absent a remarkable turnaround, it would appear that
the West is losing Turkey. Should this occur, it would constitute
the most dramatic development in the region since the 1979 Islamic
Revolution in Iran," says the article.

YEREVAN TO HOST REPUBLICAN THEATRICAL FESTIVAL OF YOUNG DIRECTORS

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.11.2009 19:26 GMT+04:0

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On November 8-18, Yerevan will host the fourth
Republican Theatrical Festival of Young Directors. This year’s program
includes 13 performances.

The festival is an opportunity for revealing promising young directors
aged 35 or less. Audience will this year have the opportunity to
watch performances by Sargis Manukyan, Karen Khachatryan, Karapet
Bayan, Gohar Pokrikyan, Zaruhi Antonyan, Grigor Khachatryan and
Guzh Tadevosyan.

The event will bring together young directors from Gyumri and Vanadzor.

Performances will be alternated with discussions between professionals
and spectators, which will be take place in the Union Theatrical
Workers.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

OFFICIAL TBILISI READY FOR OPENING UPPER LARS CHECKPOINT

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.11.2009 19:28 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Official Tbilisi is ready for opening Upper Lars
checkpoint on Georgian-Russian border near Kazbegi and is waiting
for Russian side’s signal. There have really been Armenian-mediated
negotiations with Russia, but the latter is not ready for such
talks, said Kakha Chitaya, Director of European Affairs Department
of Georgia’s Foreign Ministry.

"No agreement has been reached so far, but we are ready for opening
Upper Lars checkpoint after receiving Russia’s response," Chitaya
said, adding that "Georgian side in cases the hard situation faced
by Armenia," Gruzia-Online reports.