Author: Babajanian Karo

Security Council chief to head Armenian Volleyball Federation

October 19, 2013

YEREVAN. – National Security Council (NSC) Secretary Arthur
Baghdasaryan replaced former Syunik Regional Governor Suren
Khachatryan as President of the Armenian Volleyball Federation (AVF),
informs the latter’s media department.

The AVF convened a special conference. Sport and Youth Affairs
Minister Yuri Vardanyan informed that Khachatryan resigned from
office, and added: `Volleyball is a loved and a popular sport in
Armenia. But several problems hinder the development of this sport [in
the country], and these problems need to be addressed as soon as
possible. Under [Baghdasaryan’s] headship, I am confident that the
sport will develop [in Armenia].’

The conference delegates unanimously elected the NSC chief as the new
AVF President. On his part, Arthur Baghdasaryan thanked for the
confidence, and specifically noted: `I, too, love volleyball very
much, and this is a new start for me. We have good coaches, athletes,
[and] traditions, and we must do our best to develop volleyball in
Armenia.’

Baghdasaryan informed that the Armenian Volleyball Federation and the
All-Russian Volleyball Federation have signed a cooperation agreement.
He also called upon those present to be in unity and to work
actively.

`I am sure that success will come soon. We should also work closely
with the Sport and Youth Affairs Ministry, [and] the National Olympic
Committee [of Armenia], [and] we need to establish partnerships with
the other federations and all those organizations that are interested
in the development of this sport in Armenia,’ Arthur Baghdasaryan
stated.

NEWS.am Sport

2.7 magnitude earthquake hits Armenia

14:27 19/10/2013 » SOCIETY

An earthquake measuring 2.7 on the Richter scale hit Armenia, 13 km
northwest of the city of Spitak, on October 18, 22:57 local time. The
tremors measured 3-4 in the epicenter, according to the National
Seismic Protection Service of the Emergency Ministry.

The earthquake was felt in the city of Gyumri.

A 3.0 magnitude earthquake struck the country on October 17, 19:05
local time, with the epicenter located 20 km north of Gyumri.

Source: Panorama.am

DEUXIEMES ASSISES DE LA COOPERATION DECENTRALISEE FRANCO-ARMENIENNE

ARMENIE

Hayastani Hanrapetoutioun rend compte de la participation aux
rencontres de Valence de delegations de plus de 30 villes et regions
armeniennes et francaises. Les interventions du Vice-PM armenien,
Armen Guevorguian, et du maire de Erevan, Taron Margarian, se
felicitant des liens etroits de cooperation entre communes d’Armenie
et de France sont largement cites et la politique etrangère de la
capitale armenienne mise en valeur par la variete de ses partenariats
anciens avec Paris, Lyon, Marseille et Nice, la region d’Ile de
France. Hayastani Hanrapetoutioun relève que les maires des quartiers
Avan et Nor Nork de Erevan, faisant partie de la delegation de Taron
Margarian, ont eu des echanges avec des representants de differentes
villes francaises en vue de nouer contacts et jumelages. La signature
d’un accord renouvele de cooperation entre la region du Guegharkounik
et le Departement de l’Isère est egalement mentionnee. Par ailleurs,
Azg et Hayastani Hanrapetoutioun font etat de la presence de Charles
Aznavour, photo a l’appui, a la reception de clôture des Assises.

Extrait de la revue de presse de l’Ambassade de France en Armenie en
date du 18 octobre 2013

samedi 19 octobre 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

PRESS CONFERENCE ON THE WORKS OF THE NATO PA ANNUAL SESSION

17.10.2013

The Head of the Delegation of the RA National Assembly to NATO
Parliamentary Assembly (PA) Koryun Nahapetyan and the member of the
Delegation Tevan Poghosyan presented the works of the NATO PA Annual
Session held in Croatia at the press conference on October 17.

According to Koryun Nahapetyan, numerous issues concerning the global
and regional security on the agenda of the Annual Session have been:
17 reports have been discussed and 7 resolutions have been adopted.

The key themes have been mainly the problems of Syria and Afghanistan,
and a problem has been put in corresponding resolutions to continue the
humanitarian support and the establishment of peace in other countries.

The representatives of the NA Delegation noted that they had also
actively taken part in the works of all 5 committees of the NATO PA
and presented different recommendations. In particular, the problem of
using the measures aimed at sowing xenophobia and racism, the issues
of ensuring security of the national and religious minorities in
Syria, innocent people, especially, the Armenian community. They have
proposed that the NATO resolution connected with the Syrian problem
will be consonant with the UN resolution the external mediation will
be excluded, as the settlement of the crisis is the Syrian people’s
problem. By Tevan Poghosyan, the parliamentarians of the NATO member
countries did not deem obligatory that their adopted resolution
corresponds the UN resolution by the substantiation that they condition
their decisions by their interests, but not by the UN resolution.

In response to the issues relating to the perspectives of cooperation
with the NATO, Koryun Nahapetyan has assured that the cooperation of
our country with the NATO will be continuous and it does not contradict
the policy adopted by our country in the issue of integration,
particularly, the goals of joining the Customs Union. He also informed
those present that different programs had been implemented with the
NATO with parliamentary dimension and will be still implemented,
particularly reminding that on June 16-19 six deputies and three
employees of the staff of the National Assembly participated in
the parliamentary training program organized by the NATO PA in
Brussels, which was referring to the structure, the pursuing common
and regional policy of the NATO PA, the issues of bilateral interest,
and on July 1-3 the NA deputy Edmon Marukyan and him participated in
the NATO cognitive program for getting substantial information about
the policy and structure of the organization.

GAZPROMBANK INVESTS NEARLY 200 MLN USD IN ARMENIA’S ECONOMY THROUGH ITS ARMENIAN SUBSIDIARY AREXIMBANK

by Karina Manukyan

ARMINFO
Thursday, October 17, 17:37

Gazprombank has rather serious plans on business development
in Armenia, and for the moment it has invested nearly 200
mln USD in Armenia’s economy through its Armenian subsidiary
Areximbank-Gazprombank Group, Viktor Korendyuk, First Vice President
of Gazprombank, member of the Council of Areximbank-Gazprombank Group,
said on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of Areximbank-GPB Group.

The press service of the Bank has told ArmInfo that Korendyuk also
stressed Gazprombank’s other interesting projects on further business
development in Armenia. “We feel quite stable in Armenia; therefore
we will continue successfully developing our Armenian subsidiary”,
he said.

Armen Khandkaryan, Director General of Areximbank-Gazprombank
Group, stressed that throughout the period of its activity the Bank
has conducted a balanced and conservative policy. It has a clear
development strategy and is constantly improving its professional
skills. He added that by the growth rates of its basic indices the
Bank holds one of the leading positions. “Over the past few years
the quantitative indices of the Bank have undergone considerable
qualitative changes: the total assets have risen almost 4-fold, lending
– 5-fold, the authorized capital has doubled. The latest replenishment
of the authorized capital by $10 mln was carried out by Gazprombank
OJSC in July 2013. We do our best to justify the confidence in the
Bank and to become the best bank on the market in terms of not only
quantity but also quality of services”, said Khandkaryan.

The Financial Rating of Armenian Banks by the Agency of Rating
Marketing Information (ArmInfo) says that as of 1 October 2013 the
assets of Areximbank-Gazprombank Group amounted to 157.6 bln AMD
(40.3% y-o-y growth). The total capital made up 21.4 bln AMD (up 29.1%
as compared with the same period of 2012). The total liabilities grew
by 42.3% 136.2 bln AMD, and the net profit totaled 413 mln AMD. In Q3
2013 Gazprombank provided its Armenian subsidiary with a subordinated
loan worth 4.1 bln AMD, and the authorized fund of the Bank grew from
12.347 bln AMD (in early 2013) to 16.452 bln AMD by 1 Oct 2013 and
increased the total capital from 16.833 bln AMD to 21.351 bln AMD. As
of 1 Oct 2013, the Bank’s lending totaled 98.8 bln AMD.

To note, in November 2007 Gazprombank OJSC acquired 80% of Areximbank’s
shares. In July 2008 Gazprombank’s stake rose to 94.15%.

In September 2008 Gazprombank bought out the remaining 5.85% from
Raiffeisenbank and became the sole owner of Areximbank-Gazprombank
Group.

IRAN, ARMENIA PUBLISH BOOK ON SHARED PROVERBS

16:40 18.10.2013

Iran’s cultural attache office in Armenia published a book entitled
“Iranian-Armenian Shared Proverbs”, a move indicating deep cultural
commonalities between the two neighboring countries, Tasnim agency
reports.

The book encompasses 441 proverbs found both in Persian and Armenian
languages.

The recently-published book is mainly meant for researchers, and
will also be available to academic centers both in Iran and Armenia
dealing with Iranian studies.

ARMENIA’S MEMBERSHIP IN CUSTOMS UNION WILL HELP IT AVOID MANY FACTORS LIMITING ITS DEVELOPMENT- PRIME MINISTER SAYS

YEREVAN, October 18, / ARKA / . Armenia’s accession to the Russia-led
Customs Union will help it avoid many factors limiting its development,
according to Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan, who spoke at
a media forum titled “At the Foot of Mount Ararat” that kicked off
today in Yerevan.

“We decided to enter the Customs Union because it gives us the
opportunity to build our strategic relationship with Russia on a
more fundamental platform; it also allows to remove many constraints
that may arise if Armenia appeared outside of the Customs Union,”
said Sargsyan.

The Prime Minister explained that Armenia’s geopolitical situation
gives this issue a special significance in contrast to other countries.

“We have four neighbors, with two of them – Turkey and Azerbaijan –
we have no relations, and the international sanctions against Iran
have intensified Armenia’s blockade. The only road that connects us
with the world is through Georgia,” he said.

According to him, this geopolitical situation leaves its mark on the
structure of Armenia’s economy.

“Many industries have become hopeless, because we do not have a common
border with Russia, our main strategic partner and a major investor.

This means that we must properly assess the comparative advantages of
our economy and the long-term limiting factors affecting its structure,
” he said.

He said this in mind Armenia is building a new structure of its
economy, “which first of all should be based on the use of intellectual
resources.”

Sargsyan said also that Armenia’s joining the Customs Union will
have a positive impact on its national security and will also promote
deepening of the Armenian- Russian cultural relations. -0-

– See more at:

NATO DID NOT ENSURE SERZH SARGSYAN’S SECURITY

A meeting of the heads of NATO information and resource centers of
Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan is held on
October 18 and 19 in Yerevan, which is quite symbolic in regard to
the Customs Union.

It does not matter whether the meeting had been planned a long time
ago or is a response to September 3 because the meeting itself is
symbolic against the background of the U-turn.

The meeting will be attended by James Appathurai, NATO Secretary
General’s Special Representative for the South Caucasus.

Since September 3 focus has been on NATO because Armenia explained the
decision to join the Customs Union by security. It was an indirect
accusation to the Euro-Atlantic community for lack of substantial
proposals on security to encourage Armenia to continue the process
of association.

Interestingly, a few months earlier James Appathurai had stated that
NATO was going to come up with new proposals for the South Caucasus.

On September 3 Armenia yielded before Russian threats and announced
to join the Customs Union.

It is clear, however, that NATO’s proposals could not satisfy Armenia
a priori because the issue of security that the Armenian government
circulated as an argument or justification for the government’s rather
than Armenia’s security.

In other words, it is not clear whether the Euro-Atlantic community
and NATO which performs the function of security for this community
provided substantial guarantees of security to Armenia, whether the
mentioned proposals contained those guarantees, but the Armenian
government cared for its own rather than national security. In other
words, Russia did not threaten Armenia or Artsakh but Serzh Sargsyan
to generate developments that have the potential for a change of
government, especially that the opposition is waiting on the Russian
line for these developments.

In this regard, Russia has an advantage over NATO. NATO may offer
certain security proposals to Armenia but it does not have sufficient
tools to compete with Russia over internal security. As a result,
Serzh Sargsyan chose Russia because the Euro-Atlantic community has not
offered sufficient proposals regarding the security of the government.

Nevertheless, this state of play is also a challenge to NATO and the
Euro-Atlantic community because in the long run the notion of security
for the South Caucasian post-Soviet reality is a package notion, and
if this package lacks one set of tools out of historical peculiarities
and civilization, it is necessary to compensate the lack by upgrading
the other sets of tools in the package.

Hence, the NATO meeting in Yerevan may have an important role for the
process of restoring the balance of the regional geopolitical forces
broken after September 3.

Hakob Badalyan 14:04 18/10/2013 Story from Lragir.am News:

LEPEKHIN: SERZH SARGSYAN’S STATEMENT ON ENTRY INTO CU WAS VERY IMPORTANT

15:26 18/10/2013 ” POLITICS

The statement of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan on Armenia’s entry
into the Customs Union was very important not only for Russia but also
for Armenia, Vladimir Lepekhin, Director of the EurAsEC Institute,
told reporters on Friday.

According to him, gas price is a key issue for Armenia and membership
to the Customs Union will allow Armenia to discuss this issue to
the benefit of its own interests. He added that the same can be said
about trade turnover.

“There are many aspects which are very important for Armenia and it
is necessary to study them thoroughly and discuss them with experts,”
Lepekhin stressed.

Source: Panorama.am

NATO REALIZES THAT STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH RUSSIA IS IMPORTANT FOR ARMENIA – JAMES APPATHURAI

October 18, 2013 | 13:29

YEREVAN. – NATO realizes importance of strategic partnership with
Russia for Armenia, James Appathurai said in Yerevan asked about what
security system Armenia needs.

“No one called it into question. These are sovereign decision of
Armenia for reasons and in the context that we perfectly understand,”
NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative noted.

“Armenia has always pursued balanced foreign policy and without wishing
in any way to impose ourselves we are open doors for cooperation
with Armenia,” Appathurai said, explaining that he means “open doors”
in the sense of good opportunities for cooperation, not enlargement.

The NATO official stressed that to pursue the balance, Armenia has
chosen theoretical and practical cooperation with the Alliance.

“I leave here believing and understanding that Yerevan wants to
discuss with us how to do even more together. So it is not a question
of either or, it is a question of and…and,” he resumed.

Photo by Arsen Sargsyan/NEWS.am

News from Armenia – NEWS.am