Author: Badalian Vardan

NAGORNO-KARABAKH REGULATION WAITED UNTIL REINFORCEMENT: RUSSIA IS READY TO GIVE MONEY TO ARMENIA AND WEAPONS TO AZERBAIJAN
Vladimir Solovyev

WPS Agency
Russia
April 20, 2009 Monday

MOSCOW IS PREPARING CHANGES IN REGULATION OF THE NAGORNO-KARABAKH
CONFLICT; Foreign ministers of CSTO (Collective Security
Treaty Organization) member states discussed "important issues of
international security" and establishment of collective rapid-response
forces in Yerevan. Using the opportunity, Russian Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov met with President of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, to
coordinate organization of an Armenian-Azerbaijani summit dedicated
to Nagorno-Karabakh in Russia.

Yesterday, foreign ministers of CSTO (Collective Security
Treaty Organization) member states discussed "important issues of
international security" and establishment of collective rapid-response
forces in Yerevan. Using the opportunity, Russian Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov met with President of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, to
coordinate organization of an Armenian-Azerbaijani summit dedicated
to Nagorno-Karabakh in Russia.

Peace and love

Sergei Lavrov did not simply visit Yerevan but tried to get the
maximum benefit from this trip. He met with President of Armenia,
Serzh Sargsyan, and obtained an agreement of the Armenian leader
to take part in the trilateral summit dedicated to resolving of
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict prepared by the Russian party. It is
planned that this summit will take place in June in the framework of
the economic forum in St. Petersburg with participation of President
of Azerbaijan and with mediation of Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev.

Enhanced Coverage LinkingDmitry Medvedev. -Search using: Biographies
Plus News News, Most Recent 60 Days

The press service of the President of Armenia explained that the matter
of participation of the Armenian party would be finally settled during
the visit of Serzh Sargsyan to Russia scheduled for April 23. Along
with this, people in Moscow who claim the role of the main pacifier
of Armenians and Azerbaijanis already do not doubt success of their
peacekeeping initiative, especially bearing in mind that Russian
authorities have agreed to satisfy the request of Yerevan about a
dollar credit. However, instead of requested $2 billion Moscow is
going to give only $500 million. In any case, a top-ranking source
in the Russian Foreign Minister explains if this is insufficient
Russia will be ready to help Armenia to receive access to money of
the "anti-crisis fund" established at the beginning of the year in
the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union.

Hello, arms!

While Lavrov was achieving the agreement of Yerevan to support the
peacekeeping efforts of Moscow in Nagorno-Karabakh, Dmitry Medvedev
Enhanced Coverage LinkingDmitry Medvedev -Search using: Biographies
Plus News News, Most Recent 60 Days was doing similar work with his
Azerbaijani colleague Ilkham Aliev.

Besides the confirmation of the agreements on purchase of gas from
the second part of Shah Deniz field by Gazprom the parties will also
discuss preparation of the already mentioned summit dedicated to
Nagorno-Karabakh in St. Petersburg.

Whereas Russia promises financial benefits to Armenia to ensure its
compliance, the Kremlin has found a different approach to Azerbaijan
who is rich in hydrocarbons. Baku turned to Russia with inquiries
about the purchase of armament, namely antitank and air defense
missile systems, tanks and artillery systems for a long time. Taking
into account the "Armenian factor," these inquiries remained without
answer before. Meanwhile, at negotiations of Medvedev and Aliev the
need of Azerbaijan for Russian weapons may be met.

At least, representatives of Rosoboronexport hint that Azerbaijan is
on the list of priority partners for military industrial cooperation.

ARMENIA FUND RENOVATES ST. VIRGIN MEDICAL CENTER OBSTETRICS DEPARTMENT

armradio.am
21.04.2009 17:45

Hayastan All-Armenian Fund has launched reconstruction of the
obstetrics department of the Yerevan St.Virgin Medical Center
south-western branch: a new delivery facility will be built while the
three current ones will be renovated. The initiative is sponsored by
the Hayastan Fund Great Britain Affiliate.

"The Fund’s Great Britain local committee has been implementing a
wide range of health projects in various hospitals during the last
couple of years. A good example of this is the full renovation of
the Artik hospital, as well as several renovation projects carried
out in Yerevan Kanaker-Zeitun hospital," the Hayastan All Armenian
Fund acting executive director Ara Vardanyan pointed out.

Within the project, the department will undergo full renovation:
the walls and floors will be tiled, sewage, electricity and water
supply systems will be reconstructed, new doors and windows will be
installed; each room will be provided with a sanitation unit, as well
as hot water and oxygen supply centralized systems will be built.

The medical center, which dates back to 1992, is a three-storey
building. It serves about 1800 patients annually. According to
the chief physician and head of the hospital Nikolay Dallakyan,
the community has seen a significant increase in residents in the
last few years, and the overall project including construction of
the fourth delivery facility is welcome news.

The Hayastan Fund had implemented two other projects in St.Virgin
Medical center: through the sponsorship of the benefactor Hakop
Girtlian, the general pediatric department of the hospital underwent
renovation in 2003, while the neurosurgery department, which serves
the whole republic, was restored in 2006.

PRESS RELEASE
United Nations Development Programme / Armenia
14 Petros Adamyan St., Yerevan 0010
Contact: Mr. Hovhannes Sarajyan, Communications Associate
Tel: +37410 566 073
E-mail: [email protected]<mailto:hovhannes.sa [email protected]>
Web site:

The United Nations in Armenia and Armenian Missionary Association of
America Discuss Plans for Future Cooperation

Yerevan, 18 April 2009 – Today, Ms. Consuelo Vidal, UN Resident
Coordinator/UNDP Resident Representative (UN RC/UNDP RR) met with
Mr. Andrew Torigian, Executive Director of Armenian Missionary
Association of America (AMAA), and Rev. Dr. René Léonian,
Representative of Armenian Missionary Association in
Armenia. Mr. Armen Baibourtian, Senior Adviser to UN RC/UNDP RR was
also present at the meeting.

Welcoming the guests, Ms. Consuelo Vidal gave a brief expose on the
recent activities of the UN, international financial institutions (WB,
IMF) offices in Armenia aimed at supporting the government to address
the social impact of the global financial and economic crisis. She
stressed that it is becoming apparent that what started as a financial
and then an economic crisis, has the potential to become a human
development crisis as well, linked to the increase in poverty. The
damage to human development could be more severe and the negative
consequences of the crisis can be more lasting on human development,
especially in the regions of Armenia, where there is a high level of
unemployment.

The sides underscored the importance of community development projects
in the regions of Armenia to support the most vulnerable layers of the
society. As the alleviation of the impact of crisis in the regions of
Armenia is a common interest of the UN and AMAA, the interlocutors
agreed to look into the possibilities of initiating labor intensive
and other projects in the regions, targeting the vulnerable groups of
the society, especially women. These joint endeavors may become model
projects that can be implemented throughout the country in time of the
crisis.

Tehran Times, Iran
April 19 2009

Iran’s army plays important role in regional stability: Armenia

MOSCOW (IRNA) ` Deputy Armenian Defense Minister Ara Nazarian said on
Saturday that the Iranian Army is the main cause of regional peace and
stability.

He made the remark while addressing a ceremony to commemorate the
Islamic Republic of Iran’s Army Day in the Armenian capital city of
Yerevan. Nazarian added that the Iranian Army guarantees security of
its borders with neighboring states.

Also addressing the ceremony, Colonel Ahmad-Reza Allahdadi, Iran’s
military attaché to Armenia praised combat readiness and high
capability of the Iranian Army in various fields.

Iranian scientists and experts have made significant scientific
achievements in different areas despite economic sanctions imposed on
the Islamic Republic by several western states.

The ceremony to commemorate Iran’s Army Day was attended by a number
of senior Armenian military officials, ranking government authorities,
several Members of Parliament and ambassadors of foreign countries to
Armenia

UNICEF.org
April 18 2009

In Armenia, the chance to develop schools that children love to attend

Education experts from the Central and Eastern Europe and the
Commonwealth of Independent States are meeting 24-27 April in Geneva
to discuss how to provide quality education for all girls and boys
through child-friendly schools. Here is one in a series of related
stories from the region.

By Emil Sahakyan

SYUNIK PROVINCE, Armenia 17 April 2009 ` Located 200 km from Armenia’s
capital, Yerevan, the village of Ishkhanasar in Syunik province
represents a sad picture of rural poverty.

The village is now home to 250 people, most of whom are very poor and
originally came to Armenia from Azerbaijan, fleeing the conflict over
Nagorno Karabakh.

Dangerous conditions

The village school is located in an old Soviet-style building that
once was an entertainment club for collective farmers and still
carries the name of Lenin. It’s no wonder that the school has only 40
students, as conditions inside are far from child-friendly.

On the contrary, the school is dangerous for children to
attend. Falling walls and ceilings, no heating in the winter,
inadequate sanitary facilities and the absence of minimum supplies all
make it a dangerous place not only for children, but for teachers as
well.

"I was teaching history to children when suddenly I heard a crack and
immediately a big piece of wall fell down just several steps from me,"
said school Principal Ara Davtyan.

A big difference

Just a few kilometres away from Ishkhanasar, the situation is
different. The school in nearby Shaki village has been renovated and
is well maintained by students and teachers alike. It has about 200
students and is a centre of community life.

© UNICEF Armenia/2008
This school in the village of Ishkhanasar, Syunik province, represents
a sad image of rural poverty in Armenia.
However, that was not the situation until 2007, when a pilot project
on child-friendly schools was introduced in Syunik province by UNICEF,
the Goris Teachers’ Union and the non-governmental organization Kapan
Teachers.

"When we first heard about this initiative, we were hesitating about
our participation," said Deputy Principal Rima Sargsyan. "But it was
worth taking a risk and participating in the project, as it helped us
to identify our strong and weak points, and put us on the right
track."

Meeting standards for ‘child friendly’

The roots of the project were laid down in 2006, when the Ministry of
Education and Sciences, with support from UNICEF, developed a
Child-Friendly School Framework outlining requirements that a school
has to meet in order to be called child-friendly.

Such schools foster an environment in which children are motivated and
able to learn. Staff members are friendly and welcoming, and attend to
students’ health, emotional and safety needs. Child-friendly schools
recognize and encourage children’s growing capacities as learners by
providing a culture that focuses on meeting the needs of each
individual child.

In the course of the pilot project in Armenia, seven schools that
managed to meet the requirements were nominated as ‘child-friendly’
and received special prizes.

"The project helped schools to become more organized and improve the
quality of lessons, and served as an effective self-assessment tool
and a means to mobilize communities around education and child rights
issues," said UNICEF Education Officer Alvard Poghosyan.

Hopes for a small village

In 2008, UNICEF ` in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and
Science, NGO partners and local branches of the National Institute of
Education ` rolled out the child-friendly school project in Armenia’s
Shirak and Lori provinces. The partners started by raising
child-friendly school awareness among school administrators, teachers,
parents and children themselves.

As a result, around 80 per cent of schools in the provinces are now
developing plans to introduce child-friendly school standards.

This year, UNICEF is planning to assess progress made so far in
introducing the child-friendly school concept in Armenia. Following
the assessment, an action plan identifying steps to scale up the
concept in the country will be devised. Globally, UNICEF is rolling
out the ‘Child-Friendly School Manual’, a practical guidebook, which
will help countries design and implement child-friendly schools that
are most appropriate to their circumstances.

Looking at his shabby classrooms, the principal of the Ishkhanasar
village school said provincial authorities promised to start
construction of a new school building in 2009 ` raising the hope in
this small village that one day its school, too, will be
child-friendly.

untry/armenia_49388.html

GRAND PRIX TOURNAMENT: ARONIAN TO BE DEFEATED

Panorama.am
10:32 18/04/2009

After the third round of Grand Prix tournament Levon Aronian who played
with the black figures have been defeated by Sergey Kariakin. It was
obvious Aronian did not use his best possibilities. Sergey Kariakin
prepared well to meet his famous rival, but it seemed that Aronian
underestimated him. Currently they both Aronian and Kariakin have
two points.

"BARCAMP YEREVAN 2009" TO BE HELD APRIL 18-19 IN YEREVAN

ArmenPress
April 17 2009
Armenia

"BarCamp Yerevan 2009" will be held April 18-19 in the capital. It
will gather the specialists of information technologies and the new
media sphere, internet users, bloggers, representatives of companies
dealing with internet and digital technologies, journalists and all
those who use new technologies and the net in their works.

Head of the initiative group Gegham Vardanian told Armenpress that the
event aims at giving the people involved in the sphere an opportunity
to communicate with each other, implement an exchange of experience
and make new initiatives, suggestions.

According to G. Vardanian, 200-300 people mainly from Armenia, Ukraine,
Russia, Georgia and USA are intended to take part in the "BarCamp".

"BarCamp" are called the events on IT, net and new medias which are
held in a non-formal atmosphere, which ensures open discussions
and free exchange of thoughts. During the "BarCamp" there are no
specially invited speakers: participants read reports and organize
discussions. Compared with the traditional conference, here the
agenda is formed by the participants and gets a final shape only
after opening of the event.

The "BarCamp" is entirely a new format of organization of events:
it was first implemented in 2005 in the USA California state after
which it was widely spread in the whole world.

In the former Soviet space the first "BarCamp" was organized in Kiev in
October 2007. More than 300 people from Ukraine, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan,
Latvia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Poland and other states took part in it.

"BarCamp Kiev" was followed by "BarCamp Baltic’s" in Riga in February
2008, then came "BarCamp Caucasus" in Tbilisi in June.

MEGHRI HYDRO POWER PLANT TO BE BUILT BY IRANIAN COMPANIES

/ARKA/
April 17, 2009
YEREVAN

Meghri hydro power plant will be built by Iranian companies, Armenian
Minister of Energy and Natural resources Armen Movsisyan said as
quoted by Armenian TV channels.

The Minister summarized the results of the visit of Armenian President
Serzh Sargsyan to Iran at a press conference.

The Minister reported that, according to an agreement reached, Meghri
hydro power plant will be built by Iranian companies. The investments
will be then made up for in a form of electricity, he said.

Another agreement reached envisages maximal use of Armenian labor force
in implementing the investment projects and use of Armenia’s potential
in construction of infrastructures, including Iran-Armenia railroad.

On March 19, 2007, Armenia and Iran signed an agreement on construction
of two hydro power plants on borderline Araks River. The capacity of
each of the plants is to be 140megawatt.

Construction of Meghri hydro power plant is to cost about $240mln.

RUSSIA HOPES TO SEE MAXIMUM PROGRESS SIN THE KARABAKH SETTLEMENT

armradio.am
17.04.2009 18:10

Russia would like to achieve maximum progress in the negotiations on
the Nagorno-Karabakh resolution, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
said, the RIA Novosti reported.

"I think the regular meetings between the Presidents of Azerbaijan and
Armenia are very important. Russia is ready to fulfill its mandate. We
have always tried to contribute to the process. I’m sure that the
problem can be solved on the basis of interests of both nations and
new proposals if such contacts continue, Medvedev said to journalists
after the talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on April
17. Medvedev did not rule out "new ideas" might appear.

"It is necessary to act within the framework of law, but not be
close to new approaches, which might infuse a fresh spirit into the
situation, thus enabling to consolidate positions. I believe it is
possible," he said.

Medvedev stressed that the Russian Federation would do its utmost to
resolve the complicated, but solvable problem.

According to the Russian President, the sides hear each other’s
arguments.

"There are prospects, and one needs to rely on principles of
international law and resolutions adopted by the UN and the OSCE. I
think there is progress. Now the sides must show restraint and see
the prospects," Medvedev said.

RA PRESIDENT RECEIVES RF AND TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTERS

NOYAN TAPAN
APRIL 16, 2009
YEREVAN

On April 16, RA President Serzh Sargsyan received RF Foreign Minister
Sergey Lavrov, who had arrived in Yerevan to take part in the 20th
meeting of BSEC member-countries’ Foreign Ministers’ Council.

S. Sargsyan and S. Lavrov discussed issues regarding Armenian-Russian
strategic allied relations, as well as RA President’s forthcoming
working visit to RF. Regional and international issues of bilateral
interest were also touched upon at the meeting.

According to RA President’s Press Office, the same day S. Sargsyan
received Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, who is also in
Yerevan to take part in the meeting of BSEC member-countries’ Foreign
Ministers’ Council.

Issues regarding normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations were
discussed during the meeting.

RA Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and Turkish Deputy Foreign
Minister Ertugrul Apakan also took part in the meeting.