Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

ARMENIA: NOT OPTIMISTIC WEATHER FORECAST FOR SEPTEMBER’S SECOND HALF

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
18.09.2009 17:44 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Late September promises to be rainy in Armenia,
Zaruhi Petrosyan , representative of the Armenian Meteorological
Service under the RA Ministry of Emergency Situations told a press
conference today.

According to her, the cyclone is moving from the west towards
Armenia. Rain is expected throughout the country, as well as thunder
and strong winds (up to 29 m/sec). In the daytime the temperature will
drop to +20 – +22 C °, on flat terrain – up to +24 – +25 C °. These
weather conditions will last between September 20 and 27. Between
September 20 and 23 the lowest temperature of the month will be
observed. However, she stressed that such weather conditions will
not harm the agricultural business.

Zaruhi Petrosyan recalled that this year the summer months’ temperature
was below normal by 1 – 2 °.

According to Zaruhi Petrosyan, the temperature is expected within
normal range in October, freeze is expected in the highlands.
From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN – GERMAN BUSINESS FORUM HELD IN YEREVAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
17.09.2009 16:55 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ German Federal Ministry of Economy and Technology
is on a visit to Yerevan from September 17 -19. The visit aims at
strengthening of business relations in the sphere of agriculture, food
industry and energetics. Meeting between RA and German entrepreneurs
and visits to local organizations are on agenda. RA-German business
forum is organized by Armenian Development Agency (ADA).

"Germany is implementing rather active investment policy in RA,"
ADA Deputy Chairman Valeriy Shabanov told a news conference
on Thursday. According to him, as of now, the volume of German
investments in Armenia comprises %100 million and 5-year product
turnover (2004-2005) reached $ 1,5 billion. "There’s a great potential
for business collaboration development between RA and Germany. We
have a lot to learn from German colleagues, so the meeting will be
very productive," he noted.

Around the half of RA companies based on foreign capital, is comprised
by German companies.

In 2008 the turnover between the countries comprised $ 438.9 ($183.7:
exports, $ 255.2 imports). Armenia exports iron, steel copper and
metallurgic ores to Germany, and imports electronic equipment and
machinery.
From: Baghdasarian

HRANT DINK COMMEMORATION MEETING HELD IN ISTANBUL

Information-Analytic Agency NEWS.am
Sept 16 2009
Armenia

16:55 / 09/16/2009On the occasion of the 55th birthday anniversary
of the well-known Armenia journalist Hrant Dink, who was assassinated
in Istanbul in January 2007, the Hrant Dink International Fund held a
commemoration meeting and awarded prizes to the journalist Alper Gurm
Alper GörmuÅ~_ and to the Israeli journalist Amira Hass, reported
the Bianet website.

On September 15, the Fund held a party at the Resid Rey hall in
Istanbul. Among the guests were Hrant Dinks family, colleagues and
human rights activists. Among about the 500 guests were State Minister
Egemen BagıÅ~_, Chairman of the Human Rights Commission Zafer Uskul,
the member of the Democratic Society Party (Demokratik Toplum Partisi,
DTP), deputy Akın Birdal, deputy Ufuk Uras, representatives of the
EU mission in Turkey, other celebrities.

This year, the prize-awarding committee consisted of Ali Bayramoglu
(Chairman), Chairperson of the Hrant Dink Fund Rakel Dink, Etyen
Mahcupyan and others.
From: Baghdasarian

DEPUTY RA FM AND RF AMBASSADOR TO RA DISCUSSED REGIONAL ISSUES

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
16.09.2009 12:39 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On September 16, Deputy RA Foreign Minister
Shavarsh Kocharyan met Russian Ambassador to RA Vyacheslav Kovalenko
to discuss regional and international issues. The parties emphasized
that an atmosphere of trust and mutual understanding established
between Armenia and Russia is a good basis for partnership and
strategic collaboration strengthening, RA MFA press service reported
to PanARMENIAN.Net.
From: Baghdasarian

U.S. AMBASSADOR, RA DEPUTY PM AND MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE VISIT MCA-ARMENIA PROGRAM SITES IN KOTAYK AND ARAGATSOTN

armradio.am
16.09.2009 12:53

On September 16, 2009, U.S. Ambassador Marie L. Yovanovitch, RA
Deputy Prime Minister Armen Gevorgyan, RA Minister of Agriculture
Gerasim Alaverdyan, Aragatsotn marzpet Sargis Sahakyan, Kotayk
Marzpet Kovalenko Shahgeldyan, and other RA and U.S. delegation
members held a joint working visit to the Arzni-Shamiram main canal
section rehabilitated under the MCA-Armenia Program. The project site
represents a test area used to determine engineering and construction
best practices to be used during subsequent main canal rehabilitation
works. More than 30 communities and 60,000 people in both marzes will
benefit from the improvements in this canal.

The Arzni-Shamiram canal is one of six main canals within the Armenian
main canal network that will be rehabilitated under the MCA-Armenia
Program’s Irrigated Agriculture Project (IAP). Rehabilitation
and construction works are contracted to a consortium led by the
French company "SADE" and its Armenian subcontractor "SHMSH-23" of
Vayots Dzor. Rehabilitation and reconstruction works focus on canal
sections and water-management structures which are in poor to very
poor condition.

The delegation continued their trip to the community of Karbi in
Aragatsotn marz for an informative tour of the new agricultural
technologies being utilized by a farmer who underwent water-management
training. MCA-Armenia funded the installation of the drip irrigation
system which has allowed the farmer to transition to more efficient
and cost-effective irrigation practices.

This is only one of many demonstration sites where technical equipment
funded by the MCA-Armenia Program is explained to the farmers. Visits
to these sites are complementary to in-class training sessions,
providing farmers with hands-on evidence of how the new approaches
taught to them work in practice.

To date over 30,000 farmers in more than 300 communities in Armenia
have received training in water management technologies and higher
value agriculture within the Agriculture project of the Program. This
includes around 5000 farmers in 60 communities of Kotayk and Aragatsotn
marzes.
From: Baghdasarian

HERITAGE NOT INVITED TO CONSULTATIONS ON ARMENIAN-TURKISH PROTOCOLS

PanARMENIAN.Net
15.09.2009 17:30 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Heritage Party has not received any formal written
invitation to take part in the discussion of the Armenian-Turkish
protocols with the President", the head of the parliamentary faction
Stepan Safaryan said.

According to him, the party has already participated in these
discussions and remained disappointed, though Stepan Safaryan does not
rule out a possibility of party’s participation in these consultations
on Armenian-Turkish protocols.

"Taking into account the experience of the party, in case of receiving
a written invitation, we would decide, to participate or not," Stepan
Safaryan said.
From: Baghdasarian

SINGAPORE’S ECONOMIC MIRACLE AUTHOR LEE KUAN YEW TO VISIT ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
14.09.2009 15:14 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On September 17-19, Singapore’s Minister Mentor,
Lee Kuan Yew will visit Armenia on RA National Competitiveness Council
invitation. Lee Kuan Yew will meet RA President Serzh Sargsyan, Prime
Minister Tigran Sargsyan, RA National Competitiveness Council members.

Singapore’s Minister Mentor and former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew,
is widely credited as the architect of Singapore’s economic miracle
and one of Asia’s most influential political leaders, RA National
Competitiveness Council press service reported.
From: Baghdasarian

Yerevan city administration bans Republic party rally on Sept. 21
11.09.2009 22:15 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On September 10, 2009, following the relevant
provisions of RA law on rallies, marches and demonstrations, Yerevan
city administration banned Republic party to organize a rally on
Sept. 21, Independence Day.
From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIA’S FM TO VISIT CHINA

Aysor
Sept 10 2009
Armenia

Today, at the invitation of China’s FM Yang Jiechi, Edward Nalbandyan
is attending Beijing.

According to the press office of Armenia’s Foreign Ministry
E.Nalbandyan will meet with China’s higher party and state leadership.

Armenia’s FM will speak at International Studies Institute of China
will give an interview to Xinhua news agency and state central
television CCTV.

E. Nalbandyan will also visit Shanghai where he will have meetings
with city authorities and leadership of the organizing committee of
World Exhibition "Expo Shanghai-2010". It will be negotiated Armenia’s
participation in the exhibition.

E. Nalbandyan will return to Yerevan on September, 14.
From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIA RANKS 43RD IN DOING BUSINESS 2010

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
09.09.2009 18:59 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia ranks 43rd in Doing Business 2010 among
183 countries, improving its position by 7 points, press service of
the WB Yerevan office reports. Georgia took 11 place, improving your
figure by 4 points, and the position of Azerbaijan in the past year
has remained unchanged – 38 place.

Doing Business 2010: Reforming through Difficult Times finds that
26 of 27 economies in the region reformed regulations to create more
opportunity for domestic firms.

In general, according to the report in Armenia over the past year
in the field of business recorded an improvement in three aspects:
establishment of businesses, obtaining credit information and
cross-border trade.

According to the report Doing Business 2010, in establishing businesses
Armenia has improved its performance and ranks 21st, in cross-border
trade – 102nd place and in obtaining a construction permission –
72nd, in registering property – 5th.

Globally, a record 131 of the 183 economies surveyed reformed business
regulations between June 2008 and May 2009, according to the report,
the seventh in a series of annual reports published by IFC and the
World Bank.

The region was the most active worldwide in reforming insolvency
regimes and easing access to credit. Six economies improved their
insolvency regimes: Albania, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia,
and Tajikistan.

Seven reformed their credit information systems: Armenia, Azerbaijan,
Latvia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, Tajikistan,
and Turkey. The Kyrgyz Republic and Poland strengthened the legal
rights of borrowers and lenders.

"Governments in Europe and Central Asia continue implementing
regulatory reforms as part of their long-term strategies, despite
the many challenges of the past year," said Neil Gregory, Advisor,
Financial and Private Sector Development, World Bank Group. "They
recognize that the quality of business regulation helps determine
how easy it is to reorganize tro start new businesses,"

Doing Business analyzes regulations that apply to an economy’s
businesses during their life cycles, including start-up and operations,
trading across borders, paying taxes, and closing a business. Doing
Business does not measure all aspects of the business environment
that matter to firms and investors. For example, it does not measure
security, macroeconomic stability, corruption, skill level, or the
strength of financial systems.
From: Baghdasarian