Author: admin

`OUR VICTORIES’

mp;nid=1651
08 March 2009

The viability of any civilization, alongside with other factors, is
determined by the high level of the military thought and, of course, by
the will and the ability to fight and to win. In this context the
history of Armenian civilization is not an exception; it is also the
continuous integrity of military art and victories. Meanwhile, it
should be accepted that in spite of the valuable historical evidences
and separate contemporary researches, the systematized analytical
history of our victories had not been covered and presented to the
Armenian and international community. In our opinion, this is the
omission not only from the point of view of Armenian historiography.
Providing the community with the information on Armenian military art
will inevitably boost the formation of large-minded and victorious
identity of contemporary Armeniancy free of psychological complexes.
Mainly this circumstances and problems compelled us to start on this
project entitled `Our victories’.

Within the framework of that project `Our victories’ four-volume
edition is publishing. It is going to be a background for the creation
of the Armenian military art encyclopedia. It is intended to translate
those publications in order to present our military art to foreign
language speaking community. There is also an intention to accept those
works as a basis for the creation of different digital and electronic
formats.

The first volume, which is a result of triennial work of the writing
staff, covers the historical period from the 3rd millennium BC till the
3rd century AC. In the near future the second volume of `Our victories’
will be published. It will be devoted to the military developments of
the 4th-10th centuries. At the same time the third (11th-17th
centuries) and forth volumes are in preparation. Our glorious and
convincing victories in war in Artsakh will also be presented in the
last volume.

It is obvious that the omissions in such a large-scale project are
inevitable. This mainly concerns the period of the 3rd and the 2nd
millenniums where we have a certain lack of evidences. Anyway we are
expecting both remarks and assistance in the implementation of the
project.

The book `Our victories’ can be purchased in `Book world’ (address: 20
Mashtots Ave. Yerevan) and `Noyan Tapan’ (Hanrapetutyan Square,
Government House 2) bookstores.

Panorama.am
14:53 07/03/2009

CEASEFIRE VIOLATED AGAIN

On the night of 7 March and during the day the ceasefire has been
violated in the front line of Azerbaijan-Karabakh, reports the Defense
Ministry of Nagorno Karabakh. The Azeri armed forces fired the
military units of NKR army in the directions of Nouzger, Mehdili,
Horadiz, Ashagh, Abdurahmanli, Kouropatkino, Djraberd, Levonarch,
Seisulan and Talish.

The NKR defense army took appropriate measures and the rival stopped
shooting. Nagorno Karabakh armed forces did not suffer losses.

Source: Panorama.am

IMF Approves US$540 Million Stand-By Arrangement for Armenia

armradio.am
07.03.2009 12:38

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) today
approved a 28-month SDR 368 million (about US$540 million) Stand-By
Arrangement for Armenia to support the country’s program to adjust to
the deteriorated global outlook, restore confidence in the currency and
financial system, and protect the poor. The approval makes the amount
equivalent to SDR 161.5 million (about US$237 million) immediately
available and the remainder in nine installments subject to quarterly
reviews. The Stand-By Arrangement entails exceptional access to IMF
resources, amounting to about 400 percent of Armenia’s quota. It was
approved under the Fund’s fast-track Emergency Financing Mechanism
procedures.

The authorities’ program is based on a consistent set of measures
regarding exchange rate, monetary, financial, and fiscal policies, as
well as continued structural reforms.
Key elements include:

¢ Return to a flexible exchange rate regime. The Central Bank of
Armenia (CBA) announced on March 3 that it will no longer intervene in
the market, except to smooth extreme volatility, and raised its policy
interest rate by 100 basis points. Following the announcement, the dram
depreciated about 20 percent, and since then, has broadly remained in
that range.

¢ Strengthening of the financial sector to maintain stability and
confidence. Key aspects of the CBA’s policy response include liquidity
support operations, as needed, and enhanced banking supervision.

¢ A revision of fiscal priorities to maintain macroeconomic stability,
while protecting social outlays and public investment, in light of the
expected revenue shortfall. The authorities intend to cut back on
non-priority spending while providing an increase in social spending of
0.3 percent of GDP, relative to the budget, to protect the poor through
well-targeted social safety nets. Additional external financing will be
used to boost public investment.

Armenia’s gross external financing requirements are projected at about
US$1.6 billion for 2009, and will remain elevated through 2011, albeit
with a slight downward trend. The Stand-By Arrangement will cover a
large share of the country’s 2009-2011 financing gap. Additional
financing will be provided by Armenia’s donors and international
partners, including the World Bank.

Following the Executive Board discussion on Armenia, Mr. Murillo
Portugal, Deputy Managing Director and Acting Chair, said:

`Since the approval of a low-access PRGF arrangement in November 2008,
Armenia has been confronted by a variety of major external shocks.
Reflecting the sharp deterioration in global economic conditions,
private transfers and capital inflows slowed considerably, while and
international commodity prices have dropped severely affected,
affecting mining exports and production. In light of a rapid decline in
international reserves and growing financing needs, the authorities
have requested additional financial assistance from the Fund.

`With the adverse global developments, real growth is expected to
contract in 2009, reflecting the downturn in Russia and other countries
in the region. Falling international prices, lower growth, and exchange
rate depreciation will help reduce the external current account
deficit. Medium-term prospects remain good, but Armenia is vulnerable
to the possibility of a deeper regional downturn and political tensions
in the region.

`Sound policies are essential to maintain macroeconomic stability. The
recent return to a flexible exchange rate will help cushion the impact
of the global downturn and eventual further regional deterioration. An
appropriately tight monetary policy is necessary to contain the
inflationary pressures stemming from the depreciation and support
demand for dram-denominated assets. Contingency plans are available to
help address any While potential negative impact of the depreciation on
the financial sector seems unlikely, contingency plans are available to
help address any such effects. In light of the expected revenue
shortfall, fiscal policy will remain prudent, protecting social outlays
and public investment by reducing non-priority spending.

`Maintaining the structural reform agenda will contribute to
macroeconomic stability and a strengthened business environment. Key
elements include the completion of the unfinished tax policy and tax
administration reform agenda, and progress on financial sector reforms.

`The Fund is confident that the policy package put in place by the
authorities is appropriate and strong,’ Mr. Portugal said.

Variety
March 7 2009

Inside Ring
Le premier cercle (France-Italy)

By JORDAN MINTZER

A TFM Distribution release of an Alter Films, Thelma Films, TF1 Intl.,
TF1 Films Prod., Medusa Film production, in association with Sofica
Valor 7, La Banque Postale Image, with participation of Canal Plus,
CNC. (International sales: TF1 Intl., Paris.) Produced by Alain
Terzian, Christine Gozlan. Executive Producer, Francois-Xavier
Decraene. Directed by Laurent Tuel. Screenplay, Tuel, Simon Moutairou,
Laurent Turner.

With: Jean Reno, Gaspard Ulliel, Vahina Giocante, Sami Bouajila, Isaac
Sharry, Philippe Leroy-Beaulieu.

A handsomely crafted mafioso suspenser that reworks "The Godfather"
in the bars and on the beaches of France’s Cote d’Azur, "Inside
Ring" is high on visual thrills and slightly lower on
originality. Helmer Laurent Tuel’s yarn of a father-son criminal
empire thwarted by a dangerous love interest is a showcase of
strikingly lensed exteriors and action sequences, with credible but
unspectacular performances. Potent sound work and sharp editing also
help to maintain interest, despite a predictable plot. French biz
will be best in ancillary, while Jean Reno could boost chances of
foreign pickups.

Opening newsreel montage recounts the plight of Armenians who
emigrated to France after the 1915 genocide: Most settled into lives
of menial physical labor, while others opted for an underworld of
crime. But beyond this brief explanation, the film fails to give its
gangsters an engaging historic or ethnic background. The only things
these Armenians — who always speak in French — seem to have in
common is their love of flashy cars and all-black attire.

Luckily, the thrills kick in quickly with a beautifully shot car chase
that follows the action at low, realistic angles, as bad boy Anton
(Gaspard Ulliel) steals another Ferrari for his ruthless daddy, local
mob boss Milo (Reno). Beyond car theft, Milo’s family also excels at
home burglary, and when a Riviera villa heist results in one charred
corpse and lots of missing artwork, detective Saunier (Sami Bouajila,
solid and compelling) vows to take down the clan that killed his
partner a decade earlier.

Despite his appearance — slick hair, skintight shirts, expensive
shoes — Anton actually doesn’t care much for his father’s affairs,
and dreams of opening a hotel-cum-horse farm in a nearby village. When
he decides to flee the roost with g.f. Elodie (Vahina Giocante), Milo
refuses to let them go, and the family conflict happens to coincide
with an airport robbery. The extended sequence offers an impressive
display of smoke and mirrors, with gripping pyrotechnics captured in
eerie widescreen by d.p. Laurent Machuel ("Sex Is Comedy"), enhanced
by a range of stark, muted sound effects by Olivier Le Vacon and Cyril
Holtz.

Co-writer/director Tuel ("Children’s Play") reveals a genuine talent
for staging action without overloading on CGI or aggressive
cutting. But his characters — especially the young couple — could
have benefited from some nuance in their dialogue and costumes, as
they seem to be literally wearing their bios on their sleeves. That
Elodie, despite being the family nurse, knows nothing about Milo’s
nefarious activities also strains credulity.

Nice and Nimes location shooting is pure Pastis.

Camera (color, widescreen), Laurent Machuel; editor, Marion Monestier;
music, Alain Kremski; production designer, Carlos Conti; costume
designer, Pascaline Chavanne; sound (Dolby Digital/DTS Digital),
Olivier Le Vacon, Cyril Holtz; visual effects supervisor; Alain
Carsoux; assistant director, Jerome Zadjermann; casting, Gerard
Moulevrier. Reviewed at UGC Cine Cite Les Halles 13, Paris, Mar. 5,
2009. Running time: 94 MIN.

categoryid=31&cs=1

Armenia to invest in infrastructures for normal economic activities

YEREVAN, March 7. /ARKA/. Armenia will invest funds in the
infrastructures to ensure normal economic activities, RA Prime Minister
Tigran Sargsyan told reporters as he spoke of the RA Government’s
measures to oppose the global crisis.

`Our strategy is simple and clear. We will support all the
infrastructures that ensure the normal activity of the country’s
economy,’ T. Sargsyan said.

The second field is the support of small and medium-sized enterprises,
which are of importance for Armenia as socially-oriented enterprises.
The third is to ensure macroeconomic stability.

`This is a quite simple model of managing the situation. Of course, we
stated that social programs will in any case remain priority for our
budget, and there will be no cutting them down,’ Sargsyan said.

Moreover, the Armenian Premier stressed that the Government has raised
pensions and social payments by 14%, which will help the socially
vulnerable sections to survive the crisis.

T. Sargsyan said that, with a view to ensuring progress in Armenia, the
Competitiveness Council was formed last year. An All-Armenian Bank is
being founded to embrace the Armenian world.

`The principal thesis is that it is not the production of goods and
services, but mental work, that serves as a basis of present-day
society. This means that the entire social and20management systems needs
reforming,’ T. Sargsyan said. P.T. `0–

TIGRAN SARKISYAN: NOT MONEY BUT INTELLECT TO BECOME THE MAIN RESOURCE IN THE NEW WORLD

ArmInfo
2009-03-06 16:23:00

ArmInfo. ‘Today no strategic centre is going to predict further
development of situation. There is uncertainty connected with the
fact that at present processes are taking place which will lead to
creation of the new world, which in its part will cardinally differ
from the previous one’, – Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisyan
said at today’s scientific conference in Russian-Armenian (Slavonik)
University.

He also added knowledge and intellect and ability to think will become
the basic principles in the new world. ‘The government should change
the criteria of assessing effectiveness and stimulations methods
should occupy the first place, as they suppose self-realization; and
the methods of compulsion should lag behind’, – Armenian premier said.

Touching on education, Tigran Sarkisyan said the reforms in the sphere
of education should be directed to teaching a person to think. But one
cannot think having no knowledge. For this reason, a person should
first of all accumulate knowledge and only after that he will have
a chance to study how to think. He also added the atmosphere should
be created in which intellectuals will feel themselves comfortable.

ISRAELI AND TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTERS MEET IN BRUSSELS
by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz

Arutz Sheva
March 6 2009
Israel

(IsraelNN.com) Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni met with her Turkish
counterpart, Ali Babacan, on Thursday in a meeting aimed at reconciling
the two governments following months of diplomatic tension. The
meeting, held on the sidelines of a NATO conference in Brussels,
was not revealed to the media ahead of time.

In a statement released later in the day, Israeli Foreign Ministry
officials said, "The ministers stressed the strategic importance of
the firm relations between the two states, noting that cooperation
between the two states is important to the stability of the Middle
East. They agreed that cooperation and political consultations would
continue on all levels."

Livni and Babacan also reportedly discussed "opportunities to advance
peace in the region," among other "bilateral and regional issues."

The significance of the Brussels meeting, the highest-level
face-to-face discussions between Israel and Turkey for several months,
is its contribution to calming relations between the two governments
following a series of diplomatic confrontations.

In early January of this year, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan declared that "Allah would sooner or later punish" Israel. He
later called for Israel to be barred from the United Nations.

On January 29, Erdogan stormed off a stage he shared with Israeli
President Shimon Peres at the World Economic Forum in Davos. His
action was the culmination of a very vocal debate on Israel’s
counter-terrorism operations in Gaza, Operation Cast Lead, during
which Erdogan charged Israel with "barbaric" actions in Gaza. "When
it comes to killing, you know well how to kill," Erdogan shouted as
he walked out.

Then, in an interview with Haaretz newspaper in mid-February, IDF
Ground Forces Commander Major-General Avi Mizrachi harshly criticized
Erdogan for his verbal attacks on Israel. Mizrachi referred to
Turkey’s genocide against Armenians in the early twentieth century
and its current oppression of the country’s Kurdish minority, saying
Erdogan should "take a look at himself" before accusing Israel of human
rights violations. Responding to Erdogan’s call to expel Israel from
the United Nations, Mizrachi said Turkey should be expelled as well.

Mizrachi was subsequently reprimanded by IDF Chief of Staff
Brig.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi. The disciplinary measure was reported to
Turkish civilian and military officials at the time.

RA GOVERNMENT MUST SUPPORT DOMESTIC MANUFACTURERS UNDER GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.03.2009 18:17 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "The National Assembly of Armenia must pass a Law
on Industry and set up a Ministry of Trade & Industry," the Head of
Armenian Manufacturers Union Vazgen Safaryan told a news conference
on Friday. "Under new CBA floating exchange rate policy and world
financial crisis the Government should take care of local manufacturers
and the Armenian industry."

"In the 1930-s, when the crisis hit America for the first time,
the US Government passed a law on Industry Restoration". Armenia is
in similar situation now, so to strengthen our industry we need to
create an investment fund in charge of import strategy, which will
help decrease the import volume ( AMD 4,4 billion in 2008). The
Armenian Government is already conducting negotiations with leaders
of industry and importers urging them to invest in local production,"
Safaryan said.

CITIZENS OF FOREIGN STATES HAVE THE RIGHT TO SERVE IN THE RUSSIAN MILITARY

PanARMENIAN.Net
07.03.2009 00:23 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Moscow newspaper "Trud" has reported that
Col. Gen. Nikolay Pankov, the deputy defense minister, had recently
pointed out that under Russian law, "the citizens of foreign states
have the right to serve in the Russian military."

The paper added that its sources in the ministry have indicated that
"there will not be any propaganda campaign" to recruit them, "but
if their numbers increase" – and the number of foreigners serving in
the Russian army now is only 308 – "this will only be welcomed"

Foreigners were given the chance to serve in the Russian military by
a series of amendments in 2004 to the country’s basic law on military
service. That law does not specify just which foreign citizens could
do so – "theoretically," the paper said, "an Australian aborigine"
could serve. But "Trud" suggested that "unofficially" military offices
have been given "an order to take for service only citizens of the
CIS and the Baltic countries."

Those now serving include citizens of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine,
Kazakhstan, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, and Armenia, plus two from Latvia,
two from Germany, and one from Israel. Despite this diversity in
citizenship, two-thirds of the total are ethnic Russians, military
officials told the paper.

ARMENIAN PREMIER DOWNPLAYS IMPACT OF NATIONAL CURRENCY DEVALUATION

Public TV
March 4 2009
Armenia

The Armenian prime minister has said that making the recent sharp
move towards a floating currency exchange rate was more effective than
letting the national currency devaluate gradually. He also downplayed
the impact of the move on society.

In an interview with Armenian Public TV aired on 4 March, Prime
Minister Tigran Sargsyan said that the Armenian government had never
backed off from the policy of a floating exchange rate but for some
period of time it simply preferred financial stability.

As a result of the move, Sargsyan said, Armenian banks have increased
their liquid assets and are now able to serve the public and the
economy. This decision was made after discussions on the issue with the
World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Sargsyan
said. "This makes the environment more predictable for commercial
banks, as well as the market, exporters and importers," Sargsyan said.

The government has specified its programmes for the coming three or
four years, after completing talks with the WB, IMF and "strategic
partners", Sargsyan said, adding that this led to the IMF’s decision
to extend 540m dollars in a loan. The WB announced it would extend
525m dollars in a loan to Armenia to be channelled into various
sectors of the economy and the Russian prime minister said their
government would allocate 500m dollars in a loan to Armenia, Sargsyan
added. Other regional banks will also extend loans to Armenia,
he noted. Sargsyan said that thanks to this, the government will
prioritize social projects, meaning in particular that there will
be no delays in paying pensions or salaries to teachers. This money
will also be used to improve the infrastructure and contribute to
economic growth by assisting companies that plan to create more jobs,
he said. The best way to do this is to help small and medium-sized
businesses, Sargsyan added.

Sargsyan predicted that the prices that surged on 3 March would
stabilize within a couple of days. "It is understandable that the
20-per-cent devaluation of the national currency makes importers
adjust their prices," Sargsyan said. He added that importers, however,
operated in a very favourable environment in the past years due to
the strong national currency and have accumulated a lot of funds,
so they would not have many problems. The situation is under the
control of the regulating bodies, he said, and if importers try to
raise prices sharply, they will find themselves facing the risk of
paying more taxes. So, the wisest policy for them would be to act in
a more balanced way. We predict an 8-per-cent inflation rate for this
year, which is the same figure as last year, he said.

Sargsyan noted that the increase in the prices for natural gas,
electricity and water was not big, and that calculations showed
it would deduct some 2,000 drams (about 5.5 dollars) from family
budget. But this is offset by the 14-per-cent rise in pensions that
we have done for this year, Sargsyan said. In addition, the government
will help the most vulnerable groups of society, he added.

Sargsyan said that the devaluation of the dram would help boost
domestic production and exports. He said the plan to devaluate the
national currency was discussed with the captains of the Armenian
economy, so it was not news to them. Also, he said, the government
is helping companies that are having temporary problems due to the
world financial crisis and those that are planning to create more
jobs. "These are successful companies with serious assets, and they
will create new jobs and add to our export potential," Sargsyan said.

Sargsyan also said that Armenia has some strong sides in dealing with
the second wave of the world economic crisis. These include strong
macroeconomic indices, Armenia’s small foreign debt and stable bank
system, he said. Sargsyan also dismissed rumours that Armenia would
enter the rouble zone, calling such a move "illogical."