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RA PRIME MINISTER TIGRAN SARGSYAN RECEIVED A CREDIT AGRICOLE DELEGATION CONSISTING OF JEAN-LUC PERROT

Thurs day, 26 March 2009

RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan received a Credit Agricole delegation
consisting of Jean-Luc Perrot, responsible for the Bank’s European
affairs and director general of Credit Agricole Consultant, director
general of the National Federation of Credit Agricole Joseph d’Oser,
ACBA-Credit Agricole JSC Board members Ives Couturier and Philippe
de Sibeins.

Greeting the guests, the Prime Minister said that the delegation’s
visit, especially seen against the background of the global financial
and economic crisis, will give a positive impulse to the development
of bilateral cooperation. According to Tigran Sargsyan, as it
defied successfully the first tide of the global crisis, Armenia’s
banking system proved to be stable and reliable which gives us certain
encouragement in that it will be able to withstand the challenges ahead
in cooperation with Credit Agricole and other international partners.

Jean-Luc Perrot and other members of the delegation expressed
satisfaction at the mutually advantageous cooperation between Credit
Agricole and our country over the past fifteen years leading to the
launching of ACBA- Credit Agricole JSC which is at the forefront of
Armenia’s banking system today. They noted that bilateral cooperation
will be continued in spite of the negative impact of the ongoing
global financial and economic crisis.

As a pledge for successful cooperation, the delegation members pointed
out to the sustained position of the Central Bank of Armenia with
respect to other banks operating in our country and went on to stress
that the cooperation between Credit Agricole, ACBA-Credit Agricole
and the CBA is marked by full harmony of efforts.

At the end of the meeting, on behalf of the Armenian government, Prime
Minister Tigran Sargsyan expressed appreciation to the management of
Credit Agricole and all those having contributed to the development
of bilateral cooperation. The Prime Minister expressed hope that the
ongoing cooperation will be continued with as much success in future.

ARARAT STRATEGIC CENTER HOLDS SURVEY ON ARMENIAN-TURKISH CONFLICT

Noyan Tapan
March 26, 2009

YEREVAN, MARCH 26, NOYAN TAPAN. The Ararat strategic center holds a
series of interviews on the latest inter-state developments between
Armenia and Turkey. The series of interviews is entitled Current
Problems of Armenian-Turkish Conflict.

The survey touches upon three subjects, Turkey’s policy in the issue
of Armenian Genocide, Turkey’s position on the Nagorno Karabakh
problem, and RA government’s invitation to Turkey to take part in
the construction of the new Armenian Nuclear Power Plant.

Representatives of wide circles of society, including state officials,
political, public, and cultural figures, analysts were included in
the list of survey participants.

TIGRAN TOROSYAN: ARMENIA NEEDS NEW PARTIES, NEW GOVERNMENT AND NEWS FACES

PanARMENIAN.Net
26.03.2009 17:37 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "I’m more than confident that recent developments
in political situation will have a serious influence on elections of
Yerevan Mayor and Council of Elders. Should Heritage and ANC have
submitted a single list of candidates, they would have much better
chances of overcoming the 40% barrier," RA National Assembly ex-
Speaker Tigran Torosyan told a news conference.

ANC showed incorrect and disrespectful attitude to its Heritage
colleagues, RA ex-Speaker emphasized, adding "Heritage was the only
opposition party undeserving of such an attitude. Should Heritage
have decided to run for elections on its own, the step would have
no serious consequences, even in case oppositional forces became
united. "Yerevan citizens would be more concerned in the issue,
than political parties are".

Tigran Torosyan is confident that opposition split and the only
parliamentary party’s refusal to run for elections, will likely cause
coalition parties to form a new coalition within the Council of Elders
and ANC’s defeat in the elections.

"Mayoral elections won’t follow presidential elections’ pattern,
despite ANC representatives’ assertions," Tigran Torosyan stated. Still
he agrees that current election carry a political nature. "Any
event involving participation of parties has a political nature,"
he stressed.

When questioned about gains of society upon return of the first
RA President Levon-Ter Petrosyan, Tigran Torosyan responded,
"Ter-Petrosyan’s return after 10years of silence came as a surprise
to everyone. Hard to say what would society gain. Might be, another
alternative."

According to Tigran Torosyan, RA system, allowing the existence
of multiple political forces in the country, is not fully
developed. "Elections are like a mirror that reflects democratic
processes within the country. Both opposition and governing authorities
are part of a single mechanism, possessed of similar vices and
virtues. Armenia needs new parties, new government and news faces,"
he said.

VICTORY WAS ANTICIPATED

A1+
12:11 pm | March 26, 2009

Sports

As expected, Levon Aronyan turned champion in the 10th round of the
"Amber" chess tournament in the match against his Chinese opponent
Vang Yu with a score of 13 points.

Levon won Vang Yu in the first round based on rules and regulations
of the "Kuyr" chess tournament and tied the match in the fast chess
round. Aronyan scored high with 1.5:0.5. Magnus Carlson and Vishvanata
Anand were in the lead before this, but they didn’t win any matches
in the 10th round.

Indian chess player Anand lost 0.5:1.5 to Russian grosmeister
Alexander Morozevich and progress was registered only in the "Kuyr"
round. Norwegian Magnus Carlson lost to leading chess player of the
Russian team Vladimir Kramkin. Anand and Carlson currently hold 2nd
and 3rd.

There is only one round left in the tournament. Aronyan will go
against Bulgarian Veselin Topalov in the 11th final round and even in
the event of a tie, the Armenian chess player will stay on top. Anand
will face-off with Vang Yu, while Carlson will play with Azeri Rajabov.

NKR PRESIDENT CHAIRED THE MEETING OF THE NKR SECURITY COUNCIL

REPUBLIC NEWSPAPER
27-03-2009
Nagorno Karabakh Republic, Stepanakert

On 26 March NKR President Bako Sahakyan chaired the meeting of the
NKR Security Council.

The Security Council discussed issues related to the main provisions
of the NKR draft law "On NKR Citizenship" and specifics of its
implementation in the republic.

NKR National Assembly chairman Ashot Ghoulyan and minister of justice
Narine Narimanyan delivered corresponding reports.

MATTHEW BRYZA AT THE DOOR OF THE FOREIGN MINISTRY

AZG DAILY
27-03-2009

International

US Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza is paying an unexpected
visit to Armenia.

Probably nobody was aware of the surprising visit, as Matthew Bryza
had to wait for 20 minutes until he was received.

Matthew Bryza handed the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s
letter to Edward Nalbandian, in which she touches upon the
US-Armenia relations, regional issues and normalization prospects of
Armenian-Turkish relations.

Hillary Clinton expressed readiness to contribute to the process of
peaceful settlement of Karabakh conflict.

Later, Matthew Bryza met also with the Armenian President Serzh
Sargsian.

ACBA DIRECTOR GENERAL HONORED WITH ORDER FOR DEVELOPMENT OF FRENCH-ARMENIAN RELATIONS

PanARMENIAN.Net
26.03.2009 22:18 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ ACBA-Credit Agricole Bank Director General Stepan
Gishyan was honored with the French Order of Merit for contribution
to the development of the Armenian-French relations.

"Stepan Gishyan is France’s friend. He assists in French University
activities and participates in events our Embassy organizes," said
Serge Smessov, the French Ambassador to Armenia.

For his part, Mr. Gishyan said that the award was unexpected but
pleasant.

HEAD OF ACBA-CREDIT AGRICOLE BANK AWARDED ‘NATIONAL ORDER FOR DESERTS’

ArmInfo
2009-03-27 15:46:00

Ambassador of France to Armenia Serge Smessow has awarded Director
General of ACBA-Credit Agricole Bank Stepan Gishyan a "National Order
for Deserts". The solemn awarding ceremony was held on March 26 in
the French Embassy in Armenia with participation of Armenia’s Prime
Minister Tigran Sarksiyan, Economy Minister Nerses Yeritsyan, Chairman
of Central Bank Artur Javadyan, delegation of the French banking group
of Credit Agricole and representatives of Armenia’s financial system.

According to S. Smessow, S. Gishyan is awarded for his contribution
to development of the French-Armenian relations. "This award has
been deserved. S. Gishyan is a close and sincere friend of France,
he has done much for development of France-Armenia cooperation",
the ambassador said. He added that S. Gishyan permanently renders
assistance to the French University in Armenia, as well as supports
holding of different cultural events by the Embassy. "It is important
that S. Gishyan is both Francophile and Francophone", S. Smessow
emphasized.

For his part, S. Gishyan said the cooperation of ACBA-Credit Agricole
Bank with the French banking group of Credit Agricole has been lasting
for 15 years already and it is exemplary by its results. "The major
part of our bank staff is French-speaking, moreover, we serve almost
all the French-speaking persons in Armenia", S. Gishyan emphasized.

According to the Ranking of Armenia’s commercial banks, prepared by
the Agency of Rating Marketing Information (ArmInfo), "ACBA-Credit
Agricole Bank" takes the leading positions by key indicators as of
January 1, 2009. So, the bank’s total capital as of this date made up
$85 mln (1st position), assets – $403.6 mln (1st position), volume of
credit investments – $279.8 mln (1st position). Over 70% in the total
portfolio of agricultural credits of Armenia’s banking system fall on
"ACBA- Credit Agricole Bank" which specializes mainly on crediting
of agriculture. The bank completed the year 2008 with net profit of
$14.5 mln (2nd position). The French banking group Credit Agricole
has been a majority shareholder of "ACBA-Credit Agricole Bank" since.

ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT EARMARKS $100,000 FOR PURCHASE OF SHARES OF EURASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK

ARKA
March 27, 2009
Aghveran

Armenian Government decided to allocate $100,000 for purchase of
shares of the Eurasian Development Bank in the second quarter of 2009
at its guest sitting in Kotayk region Thursday.

Armenian Minister of Finance Tigran Davtyan reported that the agreement
about establishing the Eurasian Development Bank has been already
ratified by the Armenian Parliament Armenian Premier Tigran Sargsyan,
in his turn, said that the value of the Bank’s programs is expected
to total $500mln in Armenia.

The agreement on foundation of the Eurasian Development Bank was
signed between Russia and Kazakhstan on January 12, 2006. The Bank
started its activities as early as in June 2006.

Currently, the authorized stock of the Eurasian Development Bank
is $1.5bln: the Russian share is $1bln and the Kazakhtani part is
$0.5bln. The Bank’s headoffice is in Almati.

The Bank finances major mid- and long-term investments projects,
including industrial and innovation programs of member-countries and
interstate special-purpose programs, provides financial and credit
support to member-countries in their macroeconomic and structural
policy.

The Eurasian Development Bank takes also part in implementation of
projects of interregional importance and provides loans to industrial
enterprises.

Armenian Parliament ratified the agreement about foundat ion of the
Bank on February 3.

AGBU Press Office
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Phone: 212.319.6383, x118
Fax: 212.319.6507
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PRESS RELEASE

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Americans for Artsakh Delivers Capacity Building to Karabakh Government
With AGBU’s Support

Americans for Artsakh recently completed a training project in good
governance at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Stepanakert, Karabakh.
The project focused on two primary subject areas: communications and
conflict resolution. It took place from February 26 to March 7, 2009,
and was conducted by Mr. Garbis Korajian, who is an expert in governance
training and has run similar courses in several other countries. Funding
was provided by the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU).

There were a total of twenty-two participants in the course,
representing not only the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but also
including four members from the Office of the President, two from the
National Assembly, and two from the government staff. The subject areas
covered are the first two of six planned components. Although the course
as a whole was primarily intended for staff members at the Ministry,
participants were also invited from other governmental offices because
of the wide applicability of these fields to many aspects of governance.
Special support was provided by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr.
Vardan Barseghian, and First Secretary, Mr. Karen Kostandyan.

The goal of the communications portion of the training was to give the
participants hands-on experience in critical communication skills, from
making public presentations to dealing with the media. The emphasis was
mostly on the practical aspects of communication. At the end of the
course, the participants selected topics to present to the group as a
whole, each of which had a specific, pre-determined intended audience.
Some of the topics included "The Role and Importance of Creating a Just
Society," "The Problem of Unemployment in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic:
Causes," and "The Role and Structure of Standing Committees in the
Parliament of Artsakh." The broad range of subjects generated lively
discussions among the group, and allowed the participants to fully
appreciate the overall purpose of the exercise.

Several of the students commented upon the essential nature of this type
of skills acquisition during this critical period in Karabakh’s history.
Artak Nersissyan, a staff member at the Ministry, was extremely pleased
with the outcome of the course. "We took many classes in public
presentations in university, but I do not think I learned or benefited
from [all of] them as much as I did in the last two weeks. I would like
to thank all of you, friends and colleagues for making this learning
experience an enjoyable one, and also our instructor, who gave us an
excellent lesson in communications. Please let’s continue with more
topics in the future. We do not want to see our capacity building
training end here."

In the second portion of the workshop, which was titled "Understanding
Conflict and Conflict Resolution Methods," the participants were
introduced to the concepts of negotiation, mediation, arbitration,
consensus building, and reconciliation. In addition, they were given the
opportunity to simulate negotiations over the conflict in the region. In
this simulation, roles and fictitious titles were assigned to specific
members of the group, creating an atmosphere that was as close to
reality as possible. Although some noted the psychologically strenuous
nature of this task, the fact that it was presented in such a realistic
manner proved rewarding in the end as it brought home the importance of
solving the conflict.

Mr. Korajian, an ethnic Armenian who grew up in Ethiopia and currently
lives in Canada, found the course both professionally and personally
enriching. Upon its completion, he commented, "I can say from the bottom
of my heart that this was one of the most interesting trainings that I
have conducted in my career. The participants were wonderful and had a
strong desire to learn. I also felt that the workshops were very
important and a necessary tool for the senior staff to have at the
Ministry."

AFA plans to expand upon its series of training courses for the
government and eventually offer courses in several governmental offices
in a variety of areas, including law, public administration, management,
and other fields.

Americans For Artsakh is a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization
established to preserve freedom, strengthen democracy, foster economic
development, protect the cultural identity and promote the heritage of
the people of Artsakh. For more information, contact Sarah Ludwig,
Executive Director, at [email protected].

Established in 1906, AGBU () is the world’s largest
non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City, AGBU
preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through
educational, cultural and humanitarian programs, annually serving some
400,000 Armenians on five continents.