Author: Chakrian Hovsep

MEETING OF FOREIGN MINISTERS OF ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN UNDERWAY IN PARIS

ArmInfo
2009-06-26 15:51:00

ArmInfo. Meeting of Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan Edward
Nalbandian and Elmar Mammadyarov and the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairmen
Yuri Merzlyakov Russia), Matthew Bryza (USA) and Bernard Fassier
(France) is currently underway in Paris.

Tigran Balayan, Spokesman of the Armenian Foreign Ministry Press
Service Department for Media, told ArmInfo the meeting started
approximately at 4:00 pm Yerevan time at the French Foreign Ministry.

HAGUE ABOVIAN CULTURAL ASSOCIATION 25

Noyan Tapan
June 24, 2009

HAGUE, JUNE 24, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. RA Minister of Diaspora
Hranush Hakobian sent a message of congratulation on the occasion of
the 25th anniversary of foundation of the Abovian Armenian Cultural
Association acting in the Netherlands, appreciating the activity of
the association.

The Abovian Association was founded on June 19, 1984, in the city of
Hague, the Netherlands.

According to information from Hague, on the occasion of the anniversary
the association organizes an Armenian film festival, cooperating
with the Hague Filmhuis Den Haag and Yerevan Golden Apricot film
festivals. The festival to start on October 22 will present the way
passed by the Armenian cinematography. Some books are to be published,
as well.

During the past 25 years the Abovian Armenian Cultural Association
made the cultural life of the Armenian community in the Netherlands
interesting by organizing weekly meetings and courses of the Armenian
language, history and culture, events, publishing periodicals.

The Abovian Cultural Association has always been on good terms with
NGOs and cultural organizations of Armenia and Diaspora. Companies of
actors and individuals have been repeatedly invited to participate in
the cultural programs. Students, sportsmen, scientists also visited
the cultural center.

IMF: ARMENIA’S ECONOMIC DOWNTURN NOT TO SURPASS DOUBLE-FIGURE

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
24.06.2009 18:25 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia’s economic downturn will not to surpass a
two-digit number, Ninke Omes, IMF permanent representative to Armenia
told a news conference today. "According to our estimations, the
economic downturn in Armenia will not surpass 10 per cent annually,
in particular, it will be around 9.5 per cent, " she said. However,
there is some uncertainty conditioned by the global economic crisis
and that showing can be higher or lower.

Over the last 5 years the economic downturn in Armenia reached a
double-figure, 15.7 per cent compared to the same period of last
year. According to Ninke Omes, this sharp downturn has been conditioned
by the small size of the Armenian market and a 56 per cent decline
in the construction industry.

Saying that an average annual inflation in Armenia will reach 3 per
cent, Ninke Omes particularly mentioned, that "inflation rate is lower,
than we expected".

As it was expected, devaluation of the national currency in March
negatively affect the economy and inflation will icrease, but it is
not happened. "Reduction of the world consumer demand and the domestic
demand in Armenia enabled to curb the inflation pace, therefore prices
for some imported goods even reduced," Ninke Omes said.

According to her, some positive trends are noticed, related to
increase in world prices for copper and molibdenium, which will
positievly impact the Armenian economy. On the other hand, growth
in oil prices positevely influence the Russian economy, which will
result in an increased money inflows from Russia, tangibly reduced
in a global crises.

ARMENIAN TRADE BALANCE REMAINS DEEP THROUGH MAY AS EXPORTS DIVE
Venla Sipila

World Markets Research Centre
Global Insight
June 22 2009

Armenia’s external trade gap remains worryingly deep. Indeed, according
to the latest customs-based figures published by the country’s National
Statistics Committee quoted by ARKA News, exports from Armenia during
January-May plunged by 47.8% in annual comparison, amounting to 76.4
billion dram ($208US million). Over the same period, imports totalled
374.8 billion dram, falling by just under 30% year-on-year (y/y) and
bringing the trade deficit for the first five months of the year to
298.4 billion dram. In particular, May saw exports falling by 15%
in month-on-month (m/m) terms, while imports decreased by 16.2%
from April.

Significance:As the continued sharp contraction in exports is
accompanied by an increasingly sharp fall in imports, deterioration
of Armenia’s eternal trade balance has started to decelerate. Then
again, at around 35% of the estimated GDO, the trade gap remains
deep enough to signal marked external financial vulnerability. The
trade deficit is translating further to a deep current-account gap,
the financing of which with non-debt-creating means is challenging in
the current international environment with still tight liquidity and
weak growth. Financial stress is also greatly exacerbated by the fact
that remittance inflows, especially from Russia, have clearly fallen,
as the Russian economy is also struggling with a deep downturn. Then
again, Armenia’s external risks stemming from the depth of the
external financing gap are mitigated by the fact that its access to
concessionary financing remains relatively good, as demonstrated by
its recently approved International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan facility
(seeArmenia: 9 March 2009: ). However, the country still remains in
urgent need of additional financing, and has applied for additional
foreign loans (seeArmenia: 21 May 2009: ).

INTEGRATION OF ISLAMIZED ARMENIANS IN ARMENIAN SOCIETY THREATENS COUNTRY’S SECURITY

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
20.06.2009 15:40 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian identity has already been shaped, and
it is not acceptable to call the generation of Islamized Armenians
"Muslim Armenians", since there is no such notion, said a historian
Tamara Vardanyan to news conference in Yerevan today.

"Today we face a challenge of obliteration of our national
identity. Integration of generations of Islamized Armenians not
recognizing themselves as Armenians and Christians into Armenian
society threatens Armenia’s security," the historian said. However,
according to Tamara Vardanyan, small number of Islamized Armenians
return to Armenia, visit Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and again
adopt Christian denomination.

"Islam is a world-view, style of life and an Armenian adopted Islam is
alienated from national values and roots. In some cases they are much
more faithful Muslims. The key question is whether these Armenians
admit Armenia to be their motherland or not," she stressed. According
to her, today there is no precise data about the quantity of Armenians,
whose ancestors adopted Islam. Meanwhile, Armenians wishing to come
back to Christianity are very few.

SYRIA READY TO HELP ADVANCE ANKARA-YEREVAN NEGOTIATIONS

Today’s Zaman
June 19 2009
Turkey

While welcoming the rapprochement between Armenia and Turkey, Syria’s
President Bashar al-Assad offered to mediate more fence-mending
negotiations between the two neighbors during an official visit to
Yerevan on Wednesday, Armenian media reported.

"We in Syria have received with great satisfaction the steps that are
aimed at normalizing Turkish-Armenian relations," al-Assad was quoted
as saying by English-language online news portal at a
joint press conference following talks with his Armenian counterpart,
Serzh Sarksyan. "I told the president of Armenia that we are ready
to help move those relations forward."

Al-Assad also argued that Syria is in a position to do that because
of its "close relationships" with both Armenia and Turkey.

Sarksyan did not comment on al-Assad’s offer during their joint news
conference but instead praised the current state of Syrian-Armenian
ties, stressing the need to boost bilateral economic cooperation. "Our
friendship must be held up as a good example to both our peoples and
others," Sarksyan was quoted as saying.

Until the last decade, Syria and Turkey were also estranged neighbors
like Armenia and Turkey. In the fall of 1998, the two countries came to
the brink of war over the presence in Syria of the now-jailed leader
of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan. At
the time, Turkish troops marshaled along the border with Syria, with
Ankara demanding that Damascus cease its support for the PKK and hand
over Ocalan.

Syrian President Hafez al-Assad forced Ocalan to leave, resulting in
his subsequent capture by Turkish Special Forces in Kenya, and PKK
training camps in Syria and Lebanon were closed down. The PKK is listed
as a terrorist organization by the EU and the US as well as by Turkey.

Syrian-Turkish trade relations have been steadily improving since 2001,
and the two countries’ trade balance rose from $150 million in 2003
to $1 billion in 2007.

ARMENIAN, SYRIAN PRESIDENTS PLEASED WITH TALKS

Mediamax
June 17 2009
Armenia

Yerevan, 17 June: Syria learned about Armenia’s steps to normalize
relations with Turkey with pleasure, Syrian President Bashar al-Asad
stated in Yerevan today.

Mediamax reports that, speaking at a joint news conference with the
Armenian president, Bashar al-Asad started Syria’s readiness to assist
progress in the process of normalizing Armenian-Turkish relations
taking into account the good relations of Damascus with both sides.

Bashar al-Asad stated that he has got acquainted with the opinion
of the Armenian president on Karabakh problem, which is especially
important on the eve of his upcoming visit to Azerbaijan. He expressed
hope that they will manage to avoid complications in the process of
Karabakh conflict settlement.

Presidents of Armenia and Syria expressed content by the negotiations,
which took place in Yerevan today. Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan
described as "historical" the official visit of the Syrian president
and noted the many centuries’ history of Armenian-Syrian relations. He
highlighted the fact that at the beginning of XX century, the Syrian
people held a helping hand to many Armenians, who had survived as a
result of the genocide [mass killings of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey].

"Syria is the second homeland of Armenians", Serzh Sargsyan quoted
the words of the former president of Syria Hafez al-Asad, who visited
Armenia 30 years ago.

Bashar al-Asad informed that he invited his Armenian counterpart to
visit Syria in response.

VISIT OF SYRIAN PRESIDENT TO ARMENIA FINISHES

Noyan Tapan
June 18, 2009

YEREVAN, JUNE 18, NOYAN TAPAN. The seeing off ceremony of Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad, who had arrived in Armenia on an official
visit, and his wife Asma al-Assad has taken place today at the
residence of the President of Armenia.

According to the President’s Press Office, before the seeing off the
Presidents of two countries summed up the visit.

TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY DOES NOT MEAN INALTERABILITY OF BORDERS, ARMENIA’S DEPUTY FM STATED

armradio.am
18.06.2009 11:44

There have been statements following the meeting of the Armenian
and Azerbaijani Presidents in Saint Petersburg that there is certain
progress towards the settlement of the Karabakh issue. Asked to comment
on this, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia, Shavarsh Kocharyan
said: "Over years we have been hearing about "open windows" and "golden
opportunities." The fact that no real progress has been registered has
its reason: it is the non-constructive position of Azerbaijan. On one
hand the Azeri authorities threaten to apply military force, on the
other hand they sign a declaration on non-use of force. On one hand
they deny the existence of the "Madrid Document," on the other hand
they declare that Azerbaijan has adopted the "Madrid Document." On
one hand they sit at the bargaining table, on the other hand they are
busy with transferring the issue to other international structures and
searching for mediators," Shavarsh Kocharyan said in an interview with
"Aravot" daily.

Shavarsh Kocharyan considers that the predictions about the rapid
solution of the issue are groundless. "Such statements pursue certain
internal political purposes. It’s not serious to think that such a
complicated situation could be settled with just one step. It8 0s
impossible. Of course, there may be some documents in the future that
will reflect the initial approaches, but the parties are not ready
for that today," the Deputy Foreign Minister declared.

According to him, Azerbaijan lays the emphasis on territorial
integrity.

"However, in case of self-determination, territorial integrity does
not mean inalterability of borders. All the states and international
structures involved in the settlement process have been declaring about
the necessity of applying all three principles of international law,
i.e. self-determination, territorial integrity and non-use of force."

The solution proposed by Azerbaijan envisages autonomy for Nagorno
Karabakh within the jurisdiction of Azerbaijan. "Naturally, it is
impossible and Azerbaijan has to realize that there is no way back. No
one will yield security guarantees in exchange for vague promises. As
for the referendum, it was held still in 1991 in accordance with the
norms of international law and USSR legislation; Nagorno Karabakh is
a de facto full-fledged state. The mediators suggest a new referendum
as an option of mutual concessions. It will be worth speaking about
a new referendum only when Azerbaijan stops using the negotiations
as a cover for imposing unrealistic approaches, which means accepting
Nagorno Karabakh as a full party to the talks. It’s impossible to reach
a solution bypassing the status of NKR," Shavarsh Kochary an stated.

IRANOLOGIST SEVAK SARUKHANIAN: CONFLICTS IN IRAN WILL END IN A WEEK

Noyan Tapan
June 17, 2009

YEREVAN, JUNE 17, NOYAN TAPAN. The conflicts that started in Iran after
the presidential elections are likely to finish in a week, and the home
political struggle is likely move from the street to another, more
invisible plane. Iranologist Sevak Sarukhanian, the Director of the
Noravank Fund, made such a prediction at the June 17 press conference.

Meanwhile he said that Iranian demonstrants have radical moods,
and no one is able to calm them down. According to S. Sarukhanian,
the candidate losing the elections, Mir Hoseyn Musavi, follows the
constitutional way of struggle and wants to challenge the elections
results, while those gathered in the street are for revolutionary
developments.

According to S. Sarukhanian, though he is not able to prove that
the Iranian presidential elections were rigged, he has received
some information from his friends living there, which cast doubt
on the fairness of the electoral process. For instance, at one of
two polling stations being very close to each other 70% voters voted
for the current Presisent and 30% for M. Hoseyn Mosavi, and just the
opposite picture was recorded at the other one.

Besides, according to S. Sarukhanian, a 140% turnout was recorded at
some polling stations.

He mentioned that the Iranian Armenian community is inert
in the post-electoral period and does not take part in the
conflicts. According to S. Sarukhanian, the Armenians have closed
the cultural centers and shops and do not go out.