Month: February 2012

PAN-ARMENIAN BANK BECOMES PARTICIPANT OF ARMENIA’S STOCK EXCHANGE

news.am
February 15, 2012 | 17:00

YEREVAN. – On Wednesday the Pan-Armenian Bank Company was registered
as participant of NASDAQ OMX Armenia stock exchange, the latter’s
Marketing and Communication Department informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

The Pan-Armenian Bank was granted the PNARB commercial code.

The Bank is also permitted to take part in the trading conducted in
the credit resource market.

To note, the Pan-Armenian Bank officially opened in September 2011. It
is founded as an open stock company, and its objective is to collect
long-term financing from international finance organizations and other
private sources directed toward development, to provide long-term
development financing to competitive production enterprises registered
and operating in Armenia.

To date, a total of thirty-two companies are NASDAQ OMX Armenia
members and market participants.

From: A. Papazian

YEREVAN’S CENTRAL DISTRICT HAS NEW GOVERNOR

Tert.am
15.02.12

Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan has appointed Ara Sadoyan the governor
of Yerevan’s central administrative district (Kentron).

Introducing the new governor to the district council earlier today,
the mayor expressed hope that his new approaches and organizational
abilities would assist in the implementations of district and
municipal programs.

“We must join our efforts to earn the population’s satisfaction and
trust. Revising our approaches in all the sectors having gaps, we
must concentrate our potentials on eliminating them,” Margaryan said.

Sadoyan, in turn, promised the mayor to invest his best efforts in
alleviating the population’s burdens and finding a solution to the
existing problems.

To ensure feedback with the population, Margaryan instructed the
administrative district officials to organize receptions and public
meetings more frequently.

From: A. Papazian

HETQ REPORTER TRIAL PROCEEDS DESPITE LAWYER NO-SHOW DUE TO SNOW

hetq
13:39, February 15, 2012

Yesterday, lawyers for Hetq reporter Adrineh Torosyan, who is being
sued for slander by Lernapat Mayor Vano Yeghiazaryan, couldn’t make
the court date in Vanadzor due to the snowy road conditions.

Torosyan did make it to court and requested that the trial be postponed
due to the absence of her lawyers Tigran Yegoryan and Lusine Hakobyan.

The plaintiff, Vano Yeghiazaryan urged presiding Judge Varduhie
Hovnanyan to proceed nevertheless, arguing that the trial was “crawling
along at a snail’s pace”.

Judge Hovnanyan pointed out that the last court session had been
postponed as well after the defense lawyers requested additional
time to draft an answer to the charges. The judge asked if such a
response was ready to be delivered to the court, to which Torosyan
replied that her lawyers would present it.

Judge Hovnanyan decided to proceed with the trial and proposed that
the parties decide in what order the evidence would be reviewed. Vano
Yeghiazaryan proposed to hear the defendant first.

The judge decided to first hear the plaintiff, then the defendant,
followed by third-party testimony.

The next trial date is scheduled for March 23.

Photo – Defense lawyersTigran Yegoryan and Lusine Hakobyan

LFIK AND SASHIK’S GLOBAL OPINION

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 17:02:17 – 15/02/2012

Head of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun parliamentary group Vahan Hovhannisyan,
dwelling on recent statements that prior to elections the opposition
did not find any other urgent issue to speak about, such as the hard
situation of the population, said that they have spoken about the
ugly economic and political situation for years while no one paid
attention to it, but as soon as they touched upon another issues,
rumors went the opposition found no other urgent issue to worry about.

Vahan Hovhannisyan disagrees with the opinion that the majoritarian
system ensures the voter-MP connection. Vahan Hovhannisyan said that
he made a research and found out where the majoritarian MPs live and
how many times they visited the districts from where they were elected.

He said that no one lives where they were elected and the population
of these districts and regions does not know who their MP is. Vahan
Hovhannisyan noted that the majoritarian MPs have never presented the
positions of the voters, for example, the opinion of the population of
Malatia community of Yerevan on the Armenian and Turkish protocols and
the opinion of Syunik region population on the Principles of Madrid.

WORLD BANK APPROVES $11 MILLION CREDIT FOR ARMENIA

news.am
February 15, 2012 | 16:53

The World Bank has approved a $11 million credit, the Third Additional
Financing for the Social Investment Fund III Project for Armenia.

The Additional Financing will further assist the Government of
Armenia in its efforts to improve the living standards of the poor
and vulnerable groups by expanding labor-intensive infrastructure
projects in response to critical needs of the local communities.

Total financing of the Additional Financing is US$ 14.6 million,
of which the Government of Armenia will finance US$2.9 million and
US$0.7 million will be provided by beneficiary communities.

The Project focuses on ~Sinfrastructure gaps~T through renovation
and rehabilitation of secondary and special schools, kindergartens,
gymnasiums and playgrounds, primary health clinics, potable water
pipelines and sanitation systems, community-cultural and social
service centers, minor irrigation schemes throughout Armenia, World
Bank~Rs website says.

~SThe proposed project will directly benefit 50 rural communities.

While this creates much-needed jobs in the current environment, the
success of the program will also depend on how well local communities
are able to sustain these new investments,~T said Asad Alam, World
Bank Regional Director for the South Caucasus.

So far, under ASIF III, 233 community infrastructure micro-projects
have been completed and another 27 are under implementation.

U.S. PUBLISHER: BRYZA’S INTERVIEW REAFFIRMS HIS NON-PROFESSIONALISM

PanARMENIAN.Net
February 15, 2012 – 17:17 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Former U.S. Co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group
and unaccomplished U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan, Matthew Bryza’s
pro-Turkish and pro-Azerbaijani statements during an interview
with Turkish Hurriyet newspaper reaffirms his non-professionalism,
according to California Courier Publisher.

“Bryza’s justification was adhering to U.S. President’s position
(George W. Bush) when accused of holding biased stance on Armenia. How
can his pro-Azerbaijani and pro-Turkish stand be explained now?”

California Courier editor Harut Sassounian’s article reads.

According to Sassounian, Bryza’s love for Turkey is big enough to
inspire him to stay in Turkey after completion of his professional
activity.

“We may say his dream has come true. Now he lives in Istanbul and is
married to a Turkish woman,” Sassounian writes.

From: Baghdasarian

EDUCATION MINISTER HAPPY TO SEE KUWAITI STUDENTS IN ARMENIAN UNIVERSITIES

PanARMENIAN.Net
February 15, 2012 – 15:49 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenian Minister of Education and Science Armen
Ashotyan received Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of
Kuwait to the Republic of Armenia Bassam Mohammed Al-Qabandi.

The Minister and the Ambassador marked the importance of developing
joint programs in the sphere of education and science, as well as
expansion and development of bilateral ties, says the press office
of the Ministry of Education.

Armenian Minister mentioned traditional and historic interest towards
Arabic studies in Armenia saying they plan to establish a center for
Arabic and Islamic studies in Yerevan State University.

The Ambassador thanked the Minister for reception and noted that
Armenia and Kuwait have great perspectives for cooperation in different
fields, and the sphere of education can take a lead in this.

The parties also touched upon ratification of a memorandum of
cooperation in the education sphere between the two countries,
scholarship programs in the sphere of higher education, student
exchange and other issues.

IRANIAN FM SAYS STRONG TIES WITH ARMENIA IMPORTANT TO IRAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
February 15, 2012 – 16:39 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – In the framework of working visit to Iran, Deputy
Foreign Minister of Armenia Shavarsh Kocharyan met with Iranian
Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi.

The parties discussed strengthening of cooperation, a number of
international and regional issues, reaffirming adherence to agreements
reached, according to RA MFA press office.

In this context, Salehi noted that “Iran attaches great importance
to deepening of ties with Armenia.”

Mr. Kocharyan further met with Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed
Abbas Araghchi, focusing on development of political and economic
relations between the two countries.

Besides, Tehran University hosted an event dedicated to the 20th
anniversary of establishment of Iranian-Armenian diplomatic ties.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

YSU TO OPEN ARAB AND ISLAMIC STUDIES CENTER

Tert.am
15.02.12

The Yerevan State University (YSU) is going to open a Center for
Islamic and Arab studies, the minister of education has said.

At a meeting with Kuwaiti Ambassador Bassam Muhammad Alqabandi,
Armen Ashotyan unveiled plans enhance Arab studies Armenia.

He said the Ministry is going to open high schools specialized in
advanced Arab language teaching.

The sides further stressed the importance of elaborating joint
educational programs and expanding and enhancing bilateral ties.

Briefing the guest on Armenia’s education development trends, the
minister said that there are aimed at developing a contemporary
education system and training highly qualified specialists.

“We would be very pleased to see students from Kuwait in Armenia’s
higher educational institutions,” Ashotyan said adding that the
country can ensure competitive education at reasonable costs.

Thanking the minister for the reception, the ambassador said Armenia
and Kuwait have great potentials to develop cooperation in different
sectors, and educatopm can assume a leading role in such efforts.

From: A. Papazian

YERKIR NEWSPAPER: WOLVES HUNTED IN YEREVAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
February 15, 2012 – 10:38 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenian Ministry of Nature Protection has proposed
to bring the number of killed wolves to 200 against 100 in 2011,
considering the outcomes of studies conducted in Armenia’s provinces
in 2011.

Ministry expects government to allocate USD 20 mln from its reserve
funds to provide AMD 100 thous. monetary awards for each wolf.

According to statistics, most wolves were hunted in Aragatsotn province
in 2011, the figure reaching 17. One wolf was also hunted in Yerevan.

However, it is still vague how the wolf appeared in the capital city.

Yerevan Zoo is to be contacted to shed light on the issue.