Author: Badalian Vardan

TOURISM OF ARMENIA – MORE COMPETITIVE
By Aghavni Haroutiunian, translated by L.H.

AZG DAILY
12-10-2011

Despite being the main basis for development of a country,
competitiveness is a concept,ca in se of which, many characteristics
of state and national issues become much secondary, as in case of
being competitive, not only big and small sizes, areas, as well as
the difficulties of using the sea lines, and many other things will
be taken into account that, as a rule, are used in Armenia to justify
all the failures.

Of course, there are natural and also artificial difficulties and
complications created by our neighbors, and under those conditions
operates Armenia’s economy, but if it is competitive, it will mean
that directions are found that can provide development. For example,
tourism, which has been repeatedly declared as a major branch in
Armenia, and concrete steps in this direction seem to become more
objective and target.

For economic development, especially in a country like us, tourism
plays an important role with its various economic outcomes.

Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, who is also the Chairman
of the Board of Trustees of the National Competitiveness Foundation
of Armenia, on International Tourism Day, on September 30, spoke of
Armenia’s potential for tourism development that, however, “is not
fully used”. “Tourism may and must be diversified in Armenia”, he said.

A step in that direction – TTG INCONTRI international tourism
exhibition has started these days in Rimini, Italy. National
Competitiveness Foundation of Armenia represents our country in it. By
the way, greatly welcomed news – Nagorno Karabakh also participates in
the exhibition. The Foundation will continue to support representation
of Karabakh’s tourism resources.

A few days ago, the National Competitiveness Foundation, in cooperation
with Italy’s Veneto region, the Venice Chamber of Commerce and
St. Lazar Mekhitarist Congregation organized a working conference on
tourism promotion between the Republic of Armenia and Veneto region. A
response-conference is scheduled to be held in Yerevan in November.

Before the above-mentioned conference, the Foundation represented
Armenia in Germany’s Travel Agents Association Conference and
TopResa-2011 International Tourism Exhibition in France.

Besides, as a result of international voting, the world renowned
National Geographic Traveler monthly magazine included Armenia among
top 3 “active, including extreme, recreation” areas.

Summarizing, we can say that according to the intention that the Board
of Trustees of the National Competitiveness Foundation of Armenia
adopted tourism as a priority and focuses attention on the branch,
has its logical continuation. The work gives hope that more concrete
steps will be taken to ensure Armenia’s competitiveness and promote
Armenia’s international recognition as a tourism destination, with
this stimulating the rise of Armenia’s international reputation.

TRCHKAN WATERFALL IN THE TOILS OF BUILDING MACHINERY?

arminfo
Tuesday, October 11, 19:55

According to the green activists, building machinery was carried to
Trchkan Waterfall on Oct 10, “We Won’t Keep Silence” youth initiative
reported.

The press service of the Armenian Ministry of Nature Protection
told ArmInfo that the Environmental Inspection of Lori region was
instructed to study the situation on the spot. “No information has
been received from the Inspection yet”, said Spokesperson of the
Ministry Artsrun Pepanyan.

Environmentalists are concerned over the fact that construction of a
small hydropower plant on the waterfall may have a negative impact
on the Trchkan Waterfall and the ecosystem in general. In 2008 the
waterfall was included in the list of natural monuments of Armenia,
however, notwithstanding this, the project of HPP construction received
a positive conclusion of the environmental examination.

EcoLur NGO and the youth initiative “We Won’t Keep Silence” have
started an S.O.S. campaign. They demand that Armenian Minister
of Nature Protection Aram Haroutyunyan should annul the positive
conclusion of the environmental examination on the HPP construction
project.

ARMINCO HEAD APPOINTED AS ARMENIAN DEPUTY TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATIONS MINISTER

ARKA
Oct 11, 2011

YEREVAN, October 11. /ARKA/. Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan
has appointed Andranik Alexanyan, head of Arminco company, as deputy
transport and communications minister.

According to the information available on the government’s website,
Alexanyan will be in charge of communications.

Alexanyan told ARKA News Agency that he quit his position in the
company. He said somebody from the company’s top-management would
succeed him.

Arminco started providing access to Internet in 1992.

The company has crested and is now using the Yerevan fiber-optic
basic network with capacity of 1Gbit/sec.

The company provides access to Internet via DialUP and DSL as well
as wireless communication and optics services via WiFi technology.

Arminco, a certified partner to Microsoft, runs the Network Information
Center of AM – AMNIC domain and Electronic Numbering (ENUM) national
register.

DISCUSSION OF RESULTS ON MKHITARIAN CONGREGATION ANNIVERSARY CONFERENCE

Tert.am
19:50 ~U 11.10.11

The Institute of History of Armenia’s National Academy of Science
(ANAS) hosted a round table discussion on the results of a two-day
international conference held on the occasion of the 200th anniversary
of the Mkhitarian Congregation in Vienna.

Titled the “The input of Mkhitarian Congregation in the development
of Armenian studies” the discussion was organized by the Institute
of History of ANAS, the Ministry of Diaspora and was also attended
by representatives of the Congregation.

The participants discussed issues related to the formation of the
Congregation, its educational life, publications, as well as issues
related to the manuscript heritage.

Father Poghos Gochanian of the Mkhitarian Congregation summarized the
results of the international conference and thanked the Ministry of
Diaspora for organizing it.

He also thanked the Institute of History for organizing the round
table discussion.

Ashot Melkonyan, Director of the Institute of History highlighted
the importance of annotation of the materials in the Congregation by
Armenian scientists.

A collection of the material of the conference will be published in
the near future.

EVEN TERRITORIAL DEVELOPMENT ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES’ TOP-PRIORITY OBJECTIVE

ARKA
Oct 11, 2011

YEREVAN, October 11. /ARKA/. Armenian authorities continue to make
every effort for even development of the country’s provinces, Armenian
President Serzh Sargsyan said Monday as opened rural communities’
first forum in Jermuk, one of Armenia’s resorts.

He said that even territorial development is the authorities’
top-priority objective.

“A concept of territorial development of Armenia has been worked out
for this purpose,” he said. “This concept made it possible to observe
implementation of programs,” he said.

The president said that even development implies also development of
necessary infrastructures and agriculture.

He said that in recent years a huge job was done to improve
infrastructures, such as roads and irrigation systems.

Sargsyan also said that the authorities were doing whatever necessary
to strengthen rural communities’ economic capacity and support
agricultural reforms.

In his words, investments continue flowing into education, social
and culture areas in provinces.

Provincial healthcare centers are being modernized and new medical
establishments are being constructed.

Money for these purposes is coming from various sources. They are
coming as loans, in grants and from the government budget.

“I find it very important to take into account opinions of our
communities and local self-governing institutions in using these
funds,” the head of state said.

He singled out the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s programs as
an example.

He said that communities’ views had been taken into account in the
corporation’s successfully implemented program on rehabilitation of
irrigation facilities.

Sargsyan said that the fund’s administration had recognized this
program implementation in Armenia one of best in the world.

A week earlier, Patrick Fine, Vice President for Compact Implementation
for the Millennium Challenge Corporation, said at his meeting with
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan in Yerevan that Armenia was the
best performer of the corporation’s programs among 25 countries.

SPANISH LANGUAGE DAY WAS OBSERVED AT THE UN IN ARMENIA

armradio.am
11.10.2011 16:21

Students, authorities, civil society and international community
representatives, and journalists discussed the use of the Spanish
Language at the UN during a first ever observation of the Spanish
Language Day in Armenia.

The event was organized by the UN Department of Public Information
(UNDPI) jointly with Hispanic Center, Yerevan State Pedagogical
University and with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
of Armenia.

The UN officials, representatives of the Hispanic Center and the MFA
spoke about the importance of the Spanish language for the UN and
the usage of Spanish language, Hispanic culture and music in Armenia.

Acting UN Resident Coordinator, Damtew Dessalegne said: “I am really
happy to see so many young bright people in the UN House today. It is
important that Armenians are learning Spanish, which will help them to
open the borders to the Hispanic world, will help them to be citizens
of the world. We live in a multilingual world where the languages we
speak, or read, or write, affect the way we think and act.”

The audience enjoyed some Hispanic dances, flamenco music, poetry and
tasted Spanish traditional cocktails. The students from the Yerevan
State Pedagogical University made presentations on.

Spanish Language Day at the UN is celebrated on 12 October, the date
traditionally observed as the day of the Hispanic Culture, which
also coincides with Spanish National Day. Arabic, Chinese, English,
French, Russian, and Spanish are the six official languages of the
United Nations.

Starting in 2010, the United Nations Department of Public Information
in New York has announced the launch of “Language Days at the United
Nations”, a new initiative which seeks to celebrate multilingualism
and cultural diversity. The UNDPI Yerevan Office is marking days of
all official languages of the UN throughout 2011.

ASRMENIA’S ARMY BIGGER THAN THOUGHT – AZERI OFFICIAL

Tert.am
15:25 ~U 11.10.11

The Armenian army is actually bigger than thought, according to an
official representative of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.

Speaking at the joint summit of GUAM Parliamentary Assembly and the
Baltic Assembly, Elcin Huseynli said the Armenian military personnel
exceeds the Azerbaijani military by 34%.

Emphasizing that Azerbaijan’s army has 70,000 servicemen, the
Azeri official said: “The Armenian army has 48,884 servicemen. In
addition, Nagorno-Karabakh has an army of 45,000. Thus, all in all,
the Armenian army’s personnel comprises 93,884 servicemen, which is
34% more compared to the Azerbaijani army.”

SEAN ST LEDGER ESPERE QUE LA DEFENSE IRLANDAISE POURRA CONTENIR L’ARMENIE
Stephane ©armenews.com

armenews.com
mardi 11 octobre 2011

SPORT

Sean St Ledger espère que la puissance defensive de l’Irlande sera
suffisante pour contenir les assaults des attaquants armeniens lors
du prochain match qualificatif pour l’Euro 2012.

Une plce pour les play-off est a gagner.

L’Armenie a inscrit 11 buts au cours de ses trois derniers matchs
qualificatifs, dont quatre contre la Slovaquie et la Macedoine.

D’autre part, l’Irlande a garde inviole ses buts y compris dans des
matchs contre l’Italie et la Russie.

Il y aura aussi un choc des styles a l’Aviva Stadium car l’Armenie
est rapide, son jeu direct contraste avec celui de l’Irlande plus
patient, methodique.

Sean St Ledger a joue le premier match a Erevan lorsque l’Irlande
a gagne grâce a un but de Keith Fahey – un objectif qui semble
aujourd’hui encore plus important qu’il y a 13 mois.

Le defenseur de Leicester City se souvient d’un match ” très bon “.

“Ils ont ete forts, rapides et très directs, et non pas en termes
de longue balle, mais dans la facon dont ils attaquent”, a declare
St Ledger.

” Ils ne font pas trop de passe dans le dos. Ils veulent essayer
de franchir les lignes assez rapidement. J’ai ete très impressionne
par eux.

” Probablement au debut personne du groupe n’aurait pense qu’il
aurait fallu se battre contre l’Armenie pour la deuxième place. Je
pense qu’ils meritent de credit enorme pour ce qu’ils ont fait dans
le groupe.

“Pour le moment, ils sont sur une très belle lancee et ont l’elan
derrière eux et nous esperons que nous pourrons les arreter mardi soir.

AZERBAIJAN DISCUSSES NUCLEAR POWER PLANT CONSTRUCTION IN ARMENIA

VestnikKavkaza.net
Oct 10 2011

Azerbaijan might agree to build a new nuclear reactor in Armenia,
the director of the Institute of Radiation Problems of ANAS, Adil
Garibov, said today, Trend reports.

Armenia will have to develop a project assessing the possible impact
of the reactor on the environment and to present the project to
Azerbaijan before Azerbaijan takes the decision to agree to the
reactor being built.

Armenia will also have to inform the Azerbaijani side about certain
aspects of the reactor’s work, particularly the role of water in the
work of the

ARMENIA ROW HITS TURKISH-FRENCH RELATIONS

EurActiv.com
Oct 10 2011

Relations between Turkey and France could be headed for a new crisis
after French President Nicolas Sarkozy urged Ankara to recognise the
mass killings of Armenians by the Turkish army in 1915 as genocide,
the Turkish press reports.

On a visit to Armenia on 7 October, Sarkozy said he wanted Turkey to
recognise, before the end of his mandate in May 2012, that the mass
killings of hundreds of thousands of Armenians amounted to genocide,
as France did in 2001.

“It is not the role of France to set an ultimatum to whoever, it is
not the right way to do things [â~@¦] but for reflection, I thing
the time from 1915 to 2011 is sufficient,” he said.

If Turkey does not recognise the genocide claims and step toward
reconciliation, the French president said he would consider proposing
the adoption of a law criminalising the denial of the killings as
genocide.

An earlier attempt by the French government was rejected by the French
Senate in 2009.

Turkish EU Minister Egemen BaÄ~_ıÅ~_ criticised Sarkozy, describing
him as “totally helpless” and adding that the French president would
do better extricating the euro zone from the economic crisis rather
than play historian on the Armenian question.

â~@~It would be better… if Mr. Sarkozy abandons the role of
historian and looks for ways to solve the economic problems of the
European Union, of which his country is a member,â~@~] BaÄ~_ıÅ~_
said, calling Sarkozyâ~@~Ys recent remarks â~@~attempts to abuse
the domestic politicsâ~@~] of France.

BaÄ~_ıÅ~_ suggested that Sarkozy was trying to use international
issues to rally support at home ahead of the Presidential elections
next year.

“Sarkozy must have been frightened with the results of recent political
surveys in France so that he is assuming such approaches,” Bagis said,
apparently referring to polls which indicate that Socialist François
Hollande would win the presidential election if it was held today.

According to commentator Murat Yetkin writing for the daily Hürriyet
newspaper, Sarkozy’s aim at Turkey could be explained by the assertive
role of Ankara in the Mediterranean, where he said France was losing
influence.

“This year marked the 100th year of Turkish withdrawal from Libya
and Algeria to leave the rule of the lands to Italy and France
respectively. Perhaps that was the reason why Sarkozy, having British
Prime Minister David Cameron as a companion, rushed to Benghazi a
day before Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ~_an visited the
Libyan city,” Yetkin writes.

According to the journalist Sarkozy sees Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip
ErdoÄ~_an as an obstacle to France’s comeback in the Maghreb following
the Arab Spring.

“Perhaps it was a subconscious reflex that pushed Sarkozy to the
Turkish and Russian backyard of the Caucasus to disturb Turkeyâ~@~Ys
balances there,” he wrote.