Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

ARMENIAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE CELEBRATION NETS TOYS, CASH
By Mark Kellam

Glendale News Press
Jan 13 2012
CA

Half of haul will go to local domestic violence shelter.

The Glendale chapter of the Armenian National Committee collected 152
toys and $140 it will use to buy more toys as part of its Christmas
celebration Wednesday at the Glendale Youth Center.

Half of the toys will be given to the Glendale YWCA’s domestic
violence shelter. The other half will be sent to the Pine Ridge Indian
Reservation in South Dakota, which occupies one of the poorest counties
in the United States, according to local chapter officials.

The chapter’s new board and scholarship winners were announced at the
event. Led by chairman Berdj Karapetian, the other board members are
Garrett Atamian, Hilma Balaian, Kevork Talatinian, David Gevorkyan,
Lena Bozoyan, Zareh Movsessian and Pierre Chraghchian. Carla Kekejian
and Yervand Azatian each received $500 scholarships.

The organization doesn’t hold its Christmas celebration during the
Armenian holiday because members are too busy with family and friends,
said Elen Asatryan, executive director of the Glendale chapter.

“So we always do it a week later,” she said, adding that the local
celebration is held close to the Armenian New Year, which is Jan. 13,
according to the culture’s old calendar.

From: Baghdasarian

CENTRAL BANK OF ARMENIA HOLDS INTEREST RATE AT 8.00%

Counting Pips

Jan 13 2012

The Central Bank of Armenia held its key refinancing rate unchanged
at 8.00%. The Central Bank Board said in its release: “The Board
admitted that inflationary pressures coming in to the Armenian
economy from external environment in short run are weak: international
prices of raw materials and food products fell in December in view
of the slowing of the world economy. Nevertheless, world economic
developments and possible inflationary pressures therefrom are in
the focus of the Central Bank. Inflationary pressures from domestic
economic developments are at their smallest as the impact of the fiscal
policy and private spending as well as the developments in the labor
market on the inflation environment are estimated to be neutral.”

Previously the Bank cut the reference rate by 50 basis points at its
September meeting in 2011, after last raising the refi rate by 25 basis
points to 8.50% in April last year. Armenia reported annual inflation
of 2.5% in December, down from 4.8% in November, the same as 4.8% in
August; down from the higher figures seen earlier last year e.g. 9%
in May, and 11.5% in March, yet still within the inflation target
range of 2.5%-5.5%. Armenia’s currency, the Armenian Dram (AMD),
last traded around 388 against the US dollar.

From: Baghdasarian

ROSTELECOM INKS DISNEY DEAL, EYES ARMENIA

Broadband TV News

Jan 13 2012

The Russian telco Rostelecom has signed a licensing agreement with
Disney under which it will be able to offer the latter~Rs content ~V
both in SD and HD ~V to its IPTV subscribers on an on demand basis.

Although Rostelecom currently operates IPTV platforms, with a total
of over 500,000 subscribers, under various names including Avangard TV
(North West Federal District), U-Tel (Ural Federal District) and Disel
TV (South and North Caucasus Federal District), they are expected to
be brought under a single brand name sometime this year.

In a separate development, it has been reported that Romtelecom
plans to enter the market in Armenia through the acquisition of a 75%
minus one share in the operator GNC-Alfa.

It is also understood to be targeting the ISP Ucom.

According to Kommersant, the two Armenian companies together account
for at least 13% of the country~Rs broadband market.

From: Baghdasarian

ROSTELECOM PLANS ACQUISITIONS OUTSIDE RUSSIA, KOMMERSANT REPORTS JANUARY 13, 2012, 1:58 AM EST
By Ilya Khrennikov

Bloomberg / Business Week

Jan 13 2012

Jan. 13 (Bloomberg) — OAO Rostelecom plans to buy stakes in network
service and Internet providers in Armenia in the state-controlled
telecommunications company~Rs first acquisitions outside Russia,
Kommersant said, citing people it didn~Rt name.

Rostelecom plans to spend $22.5 million to buy 75 percent of GNC-Alfa,
the owner of 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) of fiber- optic network in
Armenia and is looking at internet provider Ucom in the former Soviet
republic, Kommersant said. The acquisitions would give Rostelecom 13
percent of Armenia~Rs broadband Internet market, the newspaper said.

From: Baghdasarian

LUKASHENKO PROMISED ARMENIANS TO SUPPLY MORE PRODUCTS

Telegraf

Jan 12 2012
Belarus

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said that Belarus would
try to increase its exports to Armenia. The Belarusian head of
state promised the Secretary of the Armenian Security Council, Artur
Baghdasaryan, to find such a possibility.

The press service of Alexander Lukashenko stressed that it’s the
Armenian side that had applied to Belarus with a request to increase
the supply of agricultural machinery, food and consumer goods.

However, Alexander Lukashenko has complained that the 2011 year-end
trade turnover with Armenia was reduced by one third. “Here one can
talk about the objective and subjective reasons,” said the president.

The Belarusian leader reminded that the countries were still
cooperating within the CSTO.

“We are a part of the military-political alliance – the CSTO. We
don’t avoid any topics and are ready to discuss any issue of our
cooperation. You can rely on everything we have,” said Alexander
Lukashenko.

From: Baghdasarian

ISRAEL CALLS TURKEY NOT TO GIVE IT MORALITY LESSONS

ARMENPRESS
JANUARY 13, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, JANUARY 13, ARMENPRESS: During the discussions over the
Armenian Genocide at Knesset, Israel, parliamentarians wanted to
address a message to Turkey with their speeches. “Do not give us
lessons of morality,” Israel’s former defence minister Benjamin
Ben-Eliezer stated in an interview given to APA, referring to the
possible developments of the Israeli-Turkish and Israeli-Azerbaijani
relations in case of recognition of the Armenian Genocide, Armenpress
reports.

“The topic of the Armenian Genocide only concerns the relations of
Israel with Turkey, as Israel is not very satisfied with the policy
assumed by the current authorities of Turkey,” Ben-Eliezer said,
pointing out that Azerbaijan has no connection with the discussion
of the Armenian Genocide issue in Israel.

According to him, Israel does its best to find a way of dialogue
with Turkey and to regulate the relations. Israel’s former defence
minister noted Turkey has an utmost significance for its country from
the strategic and economic viewpoints. “We stand up for regulation
of relations and peace, but the matter is we do not see that wish by
Ankara,” said Ben Elizer.

From: Baghdasarian

JAZZMAN AKSEL BAKUNTS DIES

Tert.am
13.01.12

On Jan. 13, the Honored Artist of Armenia, jazzman and founder of
Yerevan State College of Jazz and Variety Art Akksel Bakunts died in
Yerevan, at the age of 65.

A state commission headed by Armenian Minister of Culture Hasmik
Poghosyan has been set up to arrange an official funeral.

From: Baghdasarian

CHILDREN IN NEED OF KINDERGARTEN IN ARMENIAN VILLAGE

Tert.am
13.01.12

About sixty children are in need of a kindergarten in the village of
Manand in Armenia’s Armavir province.

Speaking to Tert.am, Shoghik Ghazaryan, a teacher at the local
secondary school, said that the mothers of those kids would be able
to work, if there was a kindergarten.

“If the kindergarten were operational at this moment, it would be
attended by 50-60 kids, and many mothers would be able to work,”
said she.

The local kindergarten stopped to function after the 1988 earthquake.

Though the building still stands, it needs a capital renovation.

The population of the village has a total of 820, with 15% being
Yezidi.

From: Baghdasarian

CSTO SECRETARY GENERAL WILL VISIT ARMENIA

13.01.12

Delegation led by secretary of Armenian National Security Council
Arthur Baghdasaryan arrived in Minsk yesterday. A. Baghdasaryan had
a private conversation with his Belarusian counterpart Leonid Maltsev
at the airport and then the delegation continuec its official meetings.

In the frame of the visit Baghdasaryan met Belarusian Minister of
Agriculture Mikhail Rusi. Sides discussed issues of cooperation in
the agriculture sphere between two countries. Both speakers agreed it
was important to organize the exchange of the experience and pointed
further steps of cooperation. In frame of this project delegation
led by M. Rusi will visit Armenia on February-March.

After this meeting delegation led by A. Baghdasaryan visited “Minsk
trucks’ factory” and got acquainted with the trucks. Cooperation on
this field was discussed as well.

A. Baghdasaryan also met Belarusian Minister of Defense Yuri Jadobin
and cooperation between Armenia and Belarus on defense sphere was
discussed.

Meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was also
planned. Cooperation plans between Armenia and Belarus for 2012-13
have also been signed.

After ending his visit to Belarus Arthur Baghdasaryan left Minsk
for Moscow.

Secretary of Armenian National Security Council A. Baghdasaryan met
the CSTO secretary general Nikolay Bordyuzha in Moscow. A large range
of issue of Armenia-CSTO cooperation was discussed during the meeting.

Schedule of the joint programs was also reviewed.

Delegation led by CSTO secretary general will visit Armenia on February
to fulfill the arranged agreements.

Delegation led by A. Baghdasaryan attended the funeral of world-known
explorer Gevorg Vardanyan.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN COLLEGE WEBSITE HACKED

Noyan Tapan
2012-01-13

We regret to inform that the official website of Armenian College
and Philanthropic Academy, Kolkata, India, ,
has been hacked on the 13th January, 2012. The hackers claim to be
bySeRDar and Yasemin of 1923Turk Grup.

Very Rev. Father Khoren Hovhannisyan, Pastor of Armenians in India and
Manager of Armenian College and Philanthropic Academy along with the
Armenian Community, students and members of the staff of the College,
strongly condemn this heinous act replete with hatred and malice.

From: Baghdasarian