Author: admin

Deutsche Welle , Germany
March 21 2009

EU’s Eastern Partnership Draws Ire From Russia

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized on Saturday the
European Union’s new partnership with six former Soviet states,
suggesting the 27-member bloc was seeking to extend its own sphere of
influence.

"We are accused of trying to have spheres of influence," Lavrov said
during the annual Brussels Forum in the Belgian capital. "What is the
‘Eastern Partnership’? Is it a sphere of influence, including
Belarus?"

On Friday, after a two-day summit in Brussels, EU leaders approved the
new partnership, which would allow the union to increase its aid to
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and possibly Belarus by
600 million euros ($814 million).

"Our dream has come true, we have been able to adopt the Eastern
Partnership," said Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, whose
country currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency.

Under the scheme, the EU is to negotiate new association agreements —
accords setting terms for cooperation with non-member states — as
reward for democratic and free-market reforms.

The plan envisages the gradual creation of a free-trade zone with the
countries. Of the 600 million euros in aid, some 350 million euros
will be new funds for strengthening state institutions, border control
and assistance for small companies.

Giving Belarus a chance?

The EU’s interest in its eastern neighborhood has surged since
Russia’s August invasion of Georgia. The bloc is now keen to
strengthen its ties with its neighbors to counter-balance Moscow’s
growing assertiveness in the region.

As a gesture of goodwill towards Russia’s staunch ally Belarus, EU
foreign ministers on Monday extended until December the suspension of
travel restrictions for the country’s top government officials,
including President Alexander Lukashenko,

The EU put the ban into effect in 2006 in response to human rights
violations allegedly committed by Lukashenko, whose regime former US
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice once called "the last remaining
true dictatorship in the heart of Europe."

But the bloc put the visa ban on ice in October in a bid to encourage
the Belarus president to take a more pro-Western and pro-democracy
course as part of a carrot-and-stick policy.

A sore spot for Russia

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: The
West did not recognize the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia
Lavrov, however, condemned the union’s effort to draw ex-Soviet
countries closer to the West as meddling into other countries’
internal affairs.

"When my good friend Karel Schwarzenberg publicly says that if Belarus
recognizes Abkhazia and South Ossetia it could forget about "Eastern
Partnership", is it blackmail or is it democracy at work?"

"After those kinds of statements, we have questions," Lavrov
added. "Is it about pulling countries (away) from the decisions that
they are supposed to take freely?"

Russia recognized the independence of the breakaway Georgian regions
following its short war in Georgia in August to widespread
international condemnation. Moscow has been urging its neighbor to
follow suit.

The official launch of the EU’s partnership with six eastern European
countries, which is backed strongly by Poland and Sweden, is set for
May 7, although doubts remain about whether Lukashenko will be
invited.

"That will depend on the behavior of Mr. Lukashenko and the Belarus
government in the coming weeks, but Belarus should be in the ‘Eastern
Partnership’," Schwarzenberg said on Friday.

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PanARMENIAN.Net

Armenia rated N94 according to Forbes Best Countries for Business ranking
21.03.2009 18:30 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The economic downturn that’s swept the globe has
crushed financial markets, exploded unemployment and shaken confidence
in the banking system.

The disaster isn’t shared equally, though. Some countries are in a
much better position than others to rebound from the current malaise
by attracting entrepreneurs, investors and workers.

Forbes annual Best Countries for Business ranking looks at business
conditions in 127 economies. This year Armenia went down 31 points
finding itself No. 94 (as compared to last year’s N63).

According to Forbes Armenia has to implement additional economic
reforms to improve its economic competitiveness.

Topping the list for 2009: Denmark, for a second straight year, takes
the No. 1 spot. The U.S. is up two spots to No. 2, Canada is up four
spots to No. 3, Singapore is up four to No. 4 and New Zealand is up
seven to No. 5.

Big movers included New Zealand (No. 5, up seven spots), followed by
Jordan (No. 33, up 28), Australia (No. 8, up five), United Arab
Emirates (No. 46, up 28) and Malaysia (No. 25, up 13).

Sliding the most this year was Ireland (No. 14, down 12), which even
saw plans for a Guinness mega-brewery shelved by parent Diageo as
exports slowed. Uruguay (No. 66, down 22), Paraguay (No. 99, down 29)
and Latvia (No. 45, down 13) rounded out this year’s rankings.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Turkish radio broadcasting in Armenian merely political step
21.03.2009 15:47 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The beginning of radio transmission in the Armenian
language in Turkey is merely political step, an Armenian expert said.

"Turkish authorities signal Yerevan that they are ready to continue
the process of normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations," Alexander
Iskandaryan, director of the Caucasus Institute, told PanARMENIAN.Net.

Assurances of fulfilling commitments to the European Union on national
minorities’ rights protection are meaningless words, according to him.

"There are many national minorities in Turkey but neither of them has
a radio channel in native language. Kurds are an exception, as there
are millions of Kurds in the country and this problem is pressing,"
Iskandaryan said, adding that this initiative might be linked to the
impending visit of U.S. President Barack Obama to Turkey.

According to Anatolian Agency, the first program will be broadcasted
on April 24 when Armenians all over the world commemorate victims of
the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire.

PanARMENIAN.Net

A deal has been reached for collision between Darchinyan and Joseph Agbeko
21.03.2009 20:23 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A super flyweight champion Vic Darchinyan (32-1-1,
26 KOs) is once again on the move. A deal has been reached between
Gary Shaw and Don King for the summer collision between Darchinyan and
IBF bantamweight champion Joseph "King Kong" Agbeko (26-1, 22 KOs).
Since the knockout of Jorge Arce in February, Darchinyan expressed his
desire to jump up to bantamweight to look for bigger fights. His dream
would be a fight against Israel Vazuez, who fights at super
bantamweight but plans to move up to featherweight in the near future.
Shaw tells Dan Rafael that Showtime will televise the fight. No firm
date is set. The two sides are looking at the month of June. Shaw is
still waiting on final approval from the IBF. For the first time in a
long time, Darchinyan will be in the ring with a natural power puncher
who also has a good chin. The biggest man that Darchinyan has ever
faced.
"The fight is made. That’s breaking news. It will be on Showtime and
be a co-promotion between Don and myself. This is a very tough
fight. We have a lot of respect for the ‘King.’ The question is, will
Vic bring his power up to bantamweight with him? I hope so,"
boxingscene.com cited Shaw as saying.

Sarkisian, Party Leaders Discuss Economic Crisis
Published: Friday March 20, 2009
Source: Asbarez.com

18_3/20/2009_1#AMC=Open&ASBSC=Closed

Sarkisian, Party Leaders Discuss Economic Crisis

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–President Serzh Sarkisian urged public support for
his government on Friday as he discussed the growing impact of the
global economic crisis on Armenia with the leaders of nearly 50
political parties in Armenia.

The meeting began with speeches by Sarkisian and his prime minister,
Tigran Sargsyan, and continued behind closed doors for about four
hours.

`The reality is that unless we confront this crisis with joint
efforts, everyone, the entire society will suffer,’ the president said
in his speech. `It would be at least imprudent to leave the government
alone in the face of this danger.’

In an apparent reference to the opposition, Sarkisian said that no
Armenian party should try to draw `political dividends’ from the
worsening socioeconomic situation in the country. `This is the moment
when drawing political benefits, taking subversive steps would mean
adding to the crisis, rather than fighting against its effects,’ he
said.

Sarkisian also stressed the importance of public optimism and belief
in the country’s bright future. `Thank God, our population is
displaying a prudent behavior in the crisis, not succumbing to a panic
that would needlessly complicate the situation,’ he said.

Prime Minister Sargsuan, for his part, reiterated and defended the
Armenian government’s strategy of reducing the fallout from the global
downturn. A key element of that strategy is large-scale road, housing
and other infrastructure projects mainly financed by foreign
donors. The government also plans to use external loans and grants for
providing credit to small and medium-sized enterprises.

The Armenian premier further pledged `targeted’ government assistance
to local companies which would result in new jobs and boost the
country’s modest exports. He said the government’s anti-crisis task
force has already approved 25 billion drams ($68 million) in financial
aid to 18 firms.

Speaking to RFE/RL after the meeting, Sargsyan said he received many
`serious proposals’ from party leaders relating to not only economic
policy but the rule of law and government transparency. Some
participants also criticized the government, he said. `All this is
important for us to understand current public moods, views and
assessments,’ he said.

Armenian Revolutionary Federation Supreme Council of Armenia chairman
Armen Rustamian, for his part, said that the priority should be to
ensure that a crisis of epic proportions is not created. Rustamian
deemed that the strengthening of domestic resources was necessary
especially in local trade and agricultural capabilities. He also
emphasized the proper use of import taxes as a means to avert crisis.

`We could not have come up with a recipe for addressing Armenia’s
problems,’ said Vazgen Manukian, a former prime minister leading the
once influential National Democratic Union party. `But the fact that
people jointly discuss their common pain creates an atmosphere and
opportunities for solving problems.’

Manukian also made the point that the government has to be
`law-abiding and fair’ if it is enjoy public confidence.

Opposition parties Armenian National Congress and Heritage boycotted
the meeting.

FOREIGN MINISTRY HANDLES CASE OF ARMENIAN SOLDIERS CROSSING TO AZERBAIJAN: MINISTER

Trend
March 20 2009
Azerbaijan

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry is reviewing the case of three
Armenian soldiers who entered Azerbaijan and refused to return home,
Azerbaijani Defense Minister Colonel General Safar Abiyev said on
March 20.

"We appealed to the Foreign Ministry regarding the issue. It is now
in their jurisdiction," Abiyev said.

Armenian soldiers crossed into Azerbaijan in Evciduzu in the Agdam
region at noon on Feb. 28.

The soldiers crossed the contact line in Agdam voluntarily.

The detained soldiers are Grant Markosyan, Artur Varteryan and Alik
Tevosyan.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan
lost all of Nagorno-Karabakh except for Shusha and Khojali in December
1991. In 1992-93, Armenian armed forces occupied Shusha, Khojali and 7
districts surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed
a ceasefire in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia,
France, and the U.S. – are currently holding the peace negotiations.

VERJINE SVAZLYAN HONORED WITH GREATEST MINDS OF THE 21ST CENTURY ORDER

PanARMENIAN.Net
20.03.2009 18:11 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Doctor of Philology Vergine Svazlyan was awarded
with an honorary order of the American Biographical Institute,
"The greatest mind of 21st century" for her article about Armenia
featured in The Greenwood Encyclopedia of World Folklore and Folklife.

The article included information about the works of Movses Khorenatsi,
the Father of the Armenian Historiography, legends of Hayk and Bele,
Artashes and Satenik, historical facts about Tigran the Great, Saint
Gregory the Enlightener. The article couldn’t have been complete
without the mention of Sasuntsi David Epos. Besides the article
offered national stories, legends and proverbs dedicated to different
historical events in the lives of Armenians.

7 to 8 pages in the encyclopedia are usually dedicated to every
country in the world. The publishers were so interested by Vergine
Svazlyan’s work, that they offered her 16 pages for her article.

Greenwood Encyclopedia of World Folklore & Folklife was published
in 2006 by Greenwood Publishing House and Edited by William
M. Clements. The 4-volume set seeks to "survey the world’s folklore
heritages in a way that emphasizes the international nature of
folklore in general while placing folklore within particular cultural
milieus." Nearly 40 signed essays cover background and research issues
and another 200 main entries – arranged geographically by continent and
region – cover the world. Each of the articles includes a bibliography
and the indexes are usual for cross-cultural research.

VAHAGN KHACHATRIAN: AUTHORITIES WILL AGREE TO GO TO SPECIAL PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

Noyan Tapan
March 19, 2009

YEREVAN, MARCH 19, NOYAN TAPAN. For the Armenian National Congress
(ANC) Yerevan council of elders elections are not means of seizing
Mayor’s post, but an occasion to prove that it was first President,
ANC leader Levon Ter-Petrosian who won the 2008 presidential
elections. Vahagn Khachatrian, a member of the Alternative
political-public initiative, an ANC representative, the former Yerevan
Mayor, stated at the March 19 press conference. According to him,
judging by the circumstance that in the 2008 elections L. Ter-Petrosian
received most of votes in Yerevan and the authorities always had
difficulties in rigging the elections in Yerevan, the ANC victory in
the May 31 elections is beyond any doubt.

"Winning the council of elders elections we will continue demanding the
authorities’ resignation and special state elections," the opposition
figure said. According to his prediction, the authorities will not be
able to resist the political and socio-economic challenges faced by
the country and as a result will agree to go to special presidential
elections. Those elections, according to V. Khachatrian, will be held
either in 2009 or at the worst in early 2010.

Touching upon ANC’s and Zharangutiun’s discussions on running for
Yerevan council of elders elections with a common electoral roll,
the former Mayor expressed the hope that these two political forces,
nevertheless, will find common verges. V. Khachatrian repeated that
not a problem of a post will be solved, but Armenia’s further fate
will be decided on May 31.

ARMENIA TO JOIN EARTH HOUR ACTION ON MARCH 28

ArmInfo
2009-03-19 19:40:00

ArmInfo. Armenia is joining the Earth Hour action focused on the
problem of global warming.

As the press-service of the Armenian Environment Ministry told ArmInfo,
within the frames of the action, at 8:30 pm, March 28, hundreds of
people all over the world will switch off their light for an hour. It
was pioneered in Sydney in 2007, the number of participants totalled 2
mln people. In 2008 over 50 mln people all over the world participated
in the Earth Hour action.

1 bln people in 1000 cities of the world are expecting to advocate
the settlement of global warming problem in 2009.

According to the data as of 3 February 2009, the number of participant
countries amounted to 74, and cities – to 375. In total, at 8:30 pm,
March 28, 37 capitals will switch off their light. Among the cities
are London, Beijing, Los Angeles, Rio de Janeiro, Hong Kong, Dubai,
San Francisco, Buenos Aires, Rome, Oslo, Las Vegas, Moscow, Sidney,
Copenhagen, Brussels and Helsinki. The details of the action may be
found at

AMERICANS FOR ARTSAKH ORGANIZATION HOLDS TRAININGS FOR NKR MFA EMPLOYEES

PanARMENIAN.Net
19.03.2009 20:13 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Americans for Artsakh recently completed a training
project in good governance at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in
Stepanakert. 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.

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 Staff of the
Government. 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.

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
heavy 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.

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, AFA Executive Director Sarah Ludwig
reported to PanARMENIAN.Net.