Author: Chalian Meline

ANKARA BLAST KILLS 6, INJURES 100

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.05.2007 13:22 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The number of injured in a bomb blast at a
shopping mall in Turkey’s capital Ankara on Tuesday has risen to 100,
authorities said on Wednesday, while police searched for clues as to
who was behind the attack.

"We have seen a vicious, ruthless terror attack at Ankara’s busiest
time," said Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was visiting
the scene.

The blast occurred during evening rush hour at the entrance to a
shopping center in the district of Ulus.

A Pakistan national was among the dead. The area has been cordoned
off and an investigation has begun.

Unconfirmed reports suggest an explosive device may have been left
at a nearby bus stop.

Much of the front of one building was ripped off by the blast at the
Anafartalar shopping center. TV footage showed several people lying
seriously injured on the pavement surrounded by piles of concrete and
glass. Other people, possibly passers-by, were hurt by flying glass.

Turkey has been hit by bombings in recent years. Some have been blamed
on Kurds and others on Islamic militants.

In November 2003, more than 60 people were killed by a series of
suicide bombings in Istanbul which the authorities linked to al-Qaeda.

Kurdish rebels carried out a spate of attacks on tourist sites in
Turkey last year, killing more than a dozen people, BBC reports.

ARMENIAN DEFENCE MINISTER PRAISES COOPERATION WITH UK

Arminfo
22 May 07

Yerevan, 22 May: An English language department has been opened in
the Centre for Humanitarian Mine Clearance of the Armenian Defence
Ministry. The department was opened through assistance from the
British embassy in Armenia and the British Council.

Armenian Defence Minister Mikael Harutyunyan has said at a
briefing after the opening ceremony that English language training
is one of the important requirements of reforms in the armed
forces of the country. Harutyunyan said that it would allow the
Armenian experts to increase the level of cooperation with foreign
colleagues. Particularly, the minister said that Armenian peacekeepers
in Kosovo and Iraq should know English terms.

"The opening of the division is a vivid example of Armenian-British
cooperation. I am sure at this cooperation will develop," the minister
said and thanked the British embassy for assistance.

British ambassador to Armenia Anthony John James Cantor said in turn
that English language training was an important part of cooperation
between the two countries. He said that a similar department would
be opened in the Armenian Defence Ministry.

In conclusion, the ambassador stressed the importance of international
cooperation in fighting common threats.

ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER STATED ABOUT THE READINESS TO THOROUGHLY STUDY ALL THE REMARKS OF THE INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS

Mediamax News Agency, Armenia
May 22 2007

Yerevan, May 22. /Mediamax/. Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian
stated today that the Armenian authorities and the Republican Party,
which gained the majority in the new parliament, are on the whole
content by the electoral process and the results of the elections.

As Mediamax was told in the press service of the Armenian government,
the Prime Minister said this during the meeting with the Head of the
International Observation Mission Boris Frlec.

Serzh Sarkisian noted that, for holding the elections, which would
completely meet the international standards, there are certain steps
to be taken up.

"We stated that we strived to hold elections, which would be the best
ones among all the elections, held in Armenia. But it would by risky
to argue that they will 100% meet the international standards. We
realize that this is a process and it is not easy to solve all the
existing problems at once", Armenian Prime Minister stated.

"By these elections we fulfilled an important task, and I agree with
you that they will become a new standard for the following elections",
Serzh Sarkisian noted.

Prime Minister stated that after the publication of the final document
of the International Observation Mission, all the shortcomings, which
the Mission noticed, and the proposals for their elimination will
be thoroughly studied. According to Serzh Sarkisian, it is extremely
important that the report of the observers contains concrete facts,
as that will allow increasing the efficiency of the efforts directed
to the elimination of the shortcomings.

Armenian Prime Minister noted three basic directions, in which the
work should be carried out – improvement of the electoral legislation,
introduction of detailed remarks in the law on violations during the
elections, technical support for the electoral commissions.

OVER 100 DEFENSE FIRMS TO DISPLAY PRODUCTS AT MINSK SHOW

Central Asia General Newswire
May 21, 2007 Monday 3:01 PM MSK

The fourth international armament show MILEX 2007 will take place at
the BelEXPO center in Minsk and showcase the products of 116 Russian,
Belarusian and Ukrainian manufacturers, says a Rosoboronexport report
received by Interfax-AVN on Monday.

Delegations from 43 states, including Armenia, Venezuela, China,
the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Syria, as well as the military
attaches of the United States, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Russia,
Ukraine and Kazakhstan, have been invited to the show.

Deputy Director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical
Cooperation Vladimir Paleshchuk will lead the Russian delegation, while
security department chief Valery Varlamov will lead the delegation
of Rosoboronexport.

For details, see the Interfax – Military News Agency newswire.

AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone: 212.319.6383, x106
Fax: 212.319.6507
Email: [email protected]
Website:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, May 21, 2007

AGBU Young Professionals Expanding by Leaps & Bounds

Three new YP Groups launched in Toronto, Vienna, Yerevan

Established in 1995 in Los Angeles, California, the AGBU Young
Professionals (YPs) have swelled to an impressive 17 groups around the
world with the most recent additions in Toronto, Canada; Vienna,
Austria; and Yerevan, Armenia. In ongoing conversations to establish
even more groups in South America and the Middle East, the universal
appeal of AGBU YPs has young Armenians between the ages of 22 to 40
clamoring to join.

The only Armenian young professionals program with a worldwide network
that spans four continents, AGBU YPs are civic-minded, career-oriented
individuals bound by one common mission – to perpetuate the Armenian
identity. Inspiring their peers to get involved and stay involved, the
open-door policy of AGBU YPs has garnered them a worldwide reputation
for promoting a sense of community and belonging for young Armenians
from all walks of life.

Last year, the AGBU YPs doubled their number of events and tripled
their fundraising to over $33,000 with 85% of donations earmarked for
Armenia and Karabakh, through worthwhile programs sponsored by AGBU,
such as the Children’s Centers, Karabakh Repopulation Project,
American University of Armenia (AUA), and Senior Citizens Assistance
Centers (formerly known as the Soup Kitchens). Thanks to the
benevolence of AGBU YP Groups, over $120,000 has been invested back
into the homeland and their local communities since the network’s
inception.

Assuming a pivotal role during AGBU’s Centennial Closing & Conference
() in Yerevan this April, AGBU YPs are leaders
of a global movement that continues to embrace new programs that will
strengthen its network and engage young Armenian professionals
throughout the world.

2007 highlights include the YP Toronto Committee basking in the glory
of their inaugural event, which drew 275 YPs to the Foundation Room in
the city’s hip downtown corridor; YP Yerevan’s kickoff at the AUA Club
Restaurant in the heart of Armenia’s capital city with over 120
attendees; YP Austria’s launch at Vienna’s St. Hripsime Armenian
Apostolic Church, where 30 locals attended a presentation on AGBU YPs
and a musical performance; and worldwide YPs celebrating the
conclusion of AGBU’s yearlong Centennial celebrations at Nor Dzoraberd
restaurant in Yerevan, Armenia.

To learn more about the AGBU YP network, please contact one of our 17
YP Groups worldwide in – ARMENIA: Yerevan ([email protected]);
AUSTRIA: Vienna ([email protected]); BULGARIA: Plovdiv
([email protected]), Sofia ([email protected]); CANADA:
Toronto ([email protected]); ENGLAND: London ([email protected]); FRANCE:
Paris ([email protected]); IRAN: Tehran ([email protected]);
LEBANON: Beirut ([email protected]); SWITZERLAND: Geneva
([email protected]); USA: Boston, MA ([email protected]), Detroit,
MI ([email protected]), Greater New York, NY ([email protected]), Los
Angeles, CA (), Orange County, CA (),
Philadelphia, PA ([email protected]), San Francisco, CA
().

The AGBU Young Professionals are committed to preserving and promoting
the Armenian identity and heritage through educational, cultural, and
humanitarian programs. For more information on the AGBU Young
Professionals, please contact the AGBU YP Liaison at
[email protected] or (212) 319-6383. For more information on AGBU
and its worldwide programs, please visit

A1+

SUB-MACHINE GUN FIRE IN GYUMRI
[01:29 pm] 21 May, 2007

At 6:30, May 20, shots were fired in Teryan Street, Gyumri. The
stripping started at Victory Avenue and then continued opposite
`Pegas’ shop.

According to our preliminary data, Vardan Ghukasyan, the Mayor of
Gyumri, was at loggerheads with one of the sons of Artashes Sargsyan,
the former head of the Marzpetaran Urban Development Department and
the head of the `Prosperous Armenia’ regional office.

The shots damaged a `Hummer’ car parked nearby and injured a man who
was operated on in Surgery after Gyulbenkyan, Gyumri. They say that
casual passers-by fell victim to the incident.

The Police co-workers have chained the street since yesterday.

Preliminary investigation is under way.

The Prosperous Armenia Party representatives declined to comment on
the skirmish. They are waiting for the Police official statement, the
party’s press secretary reports.

VETERAN OF THE ARMENIAN POLITICS IS GOING TO RUN FOR ARMENIAN PRESIDENT

arminfo
2007-05-18 12:19:00

Veteran of the Armenian politics, the leader of the Union for
Self-determination party, Paruyr Hayrikyan declared of his intention
to run for president in 2008.

Hayrikyan said in Urbat discussion club today that as a politician
with huge experience and unrivalled services in the matter of the
Armenian statehood establishment he must not only run for president
but also become the Armenian president. But at the same time Hayrikyan
emphasized that he will run for president if certain conditions are
fulfilled, but he did not specify the conditions.

As for the local oppositionists which already said about their
intention to run for president (Artur Bagdasaryan, Vazgen Manukyan
and Aram Karapetyan) Hayrikyan called them illiterate men. ,-
Hayrikyan said.

To recall, Paruyr Hayrikyan is one of the ideological leaders of the
National Self-determination party set up in 1966 and later renamed
to Union for Self-determination party. Over the Soviet regime he was
persecuted by the KGB and imprisoned for 17 years. When Armenia became
independent he ran for president in 1991, 1996 and 1998. He also was
deputy of Supreme Soviet of Armenia in 1991, the head of the human
rights commission under the president and one of the initiators of
making amendments to the Armenian constitution.

Agence France Presse — English
May 19, 2007 Saturday 2:17 PM GMT

19-year-old charged with murder at Christian publisher in Turkey

A Turkish court on Saturday charged a 19-year-old man with murder and
forming a terrorist group in connection with the killing of three
people at a Christian publishing house in eastern Malatya, a news
agency reported.

Emre Gunaydin was also charged with illegally detaining the three
victims — a German and two Turks — at the publishing house last
month, where they were tortured for three hours before having their
throats cut, Anatolia agency said.

Gunaydin, the alleged leader of the group accused of being
responsible for the attack, had been hospitalised for a head injury
after having jumped from a third-floor window in the building in an
attempt to flee police.

He was unable to appear in court before Saturday. The court ordered
that he be held in custody.

Four other suspects in the case were also caught at the publishing
house, which had received threats for distributing Bibles and
publishing other Christian literature. The four, 19 and 20 years old,
have been jailed on the same charges.

Seven suspected accomplices, including Gunaydin’s girlfriend, have
been released pending trial.

According to media reports, they were all members of an Islamist
nationalist group.

The gruesome killings appeared to be the latest in a recent series of
attacks on minorities in Turkey, including the murders of a Roman
Catholic priest last year and of a prominent ethnic Armenian
journalist in January.

ARMENIAN-ROMANIAN TRADE AND ECONOMIC RELATIONS DO NOT REFLECT REAL OPPORTUNITIES OF SIDES

Noyan Tapan
May 17 2007

YEREVAN, MAY 17, NOYAN TAPAN. During the May 17 meeting, the
Armenian prime minister Serge Sargsian and the newly appoined
Romania’s ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Armenia
Krina Prunariu noted that Armenian-Romanian relations are developing
under conditions of a constant dialog. Speaking about the trade and
economic relations between the two countries, they said that unlike
a tendency to become active, which has been observed in the political
dialog, the economic cooperation and the current volume of commodity
turnover between Armenia and Romania are still unsatisfactory and do
not reflect the real opportunities of the sides.

The Armenian prime minister and the Romanian ambassador underlined
the importance of participation of all countries of the Black Sea
region in efforts to promote the regional cooperation and strengthen
the development and stability of the region. In this context, they
discussed Armenia’s participation in economic programs implemented
under the aegis of the European Union.

EXPORTS FROM ARMENIA GROW BY 25.1%, IMPORTS – 52.9% IN JANUARY-MARCH 2007 ON FIRST QUARTER OF LAST YEAR

Noyan Tapan
May 16 2007

YEREVAN, MAY 16, NOYAN TAPAN. In January-March 2007, the foreign
trade of Armenia made 314 bln 943.7 mln drams or 876.4 mln USD (in
current prices).

According to the RA National Statistical Service, exports made 83
bln 21.2 mln drams or 231.2 mln USD, while imports – 231 bln 922.4
mln drams or 645.2 mln USD. The foreign trade balance was negative
by 148 bln 901.2 mln drams (413.9 mln USD), the balance without goods
received as humanitarian aid – by 142 bln 687.6 mln drams (396.7 mln
USD). In January-March 2007, exports grew by 25.1% on the same period
of last year, imports grew by 52.9%.

In the first quarter of 2007, exports to CIS countries amounted to 71.2
mln USD (95.7% growth on January-March 2006), while imports from CIS
countries amounted to 198.7 mln USD (72.8% growth), including exports
to Russia – over 46.7 mln USD (147.2% growth), imports from Russia –
134.3 mln USD (86.7% growth); exports to Georgia – 15.2 mln USD (26.1%
growth), imports from Georgia – 31.6 mln USD (24.8% growth).

Exports to European Union countries made about 109.1 mln USD (9%
growth), imports – over 188.3 mln USD (46.7% growth), including
exports to Belgium – 22.1 mln USD (8.4% decline), imports – 36.9 mln
USD (2.6% decline); exports to Germany – 33.7 mln USD (0.2% decline),
imports from Germany – about 19.9 mln USD (16% growth); exports to
the Netherlands – 27.5 mln USD (3.9% growth), imports – 4.5 mln USD
(35% growth).

Exports from Armenia to Israel amounted to 9.4 mln USD (43.2% decline),
imports – to 13 mln USD (45.5% decline); exports to the US made 11.6
mln USD (1.9% growth), imports from the US – 41.4 mln USD (45.3%
growth).