Author: Dabaghian Diana

ARMENIA HAS NOT COME OUT OF CRISIS: BAGRAT ASATRYAN

Tert.am
15:13 30.03.10

"This year’s first two months have wrapped up, and the economic
growth compared to last year has been 3.1%. The problem is whether
that growth will be sustainable," former President of Central Bank
of Armenia Bagrat Asatryan said at a press conference today.

According to him, there are controversial viewpoints over this issue.

"Most of the pro-governments circles say that we have come out of
the crisis and will live a happy, wealthy life … Unfortunately,
I do not share this viewpoint," said Asatryan, adding that January
and February are usually not active months for the economy, and that
it is the total of those months that makes up the 8-9% GDP, while it
is not right to draw conclusions based on data from those two months.

"Has our country’s economic policy created those prerequisites which
will bring about positive results?" asked Asatryan, adding that
the bail-out efforts made by RA authorities last year were aimed at
attracting money from abroad and injecting it into the economy.

But according to Asatryan, the consequence of those actions was the
"deep downfall."

"In the first months of 2010, that downfall continues in the
construction sector," said Asatryan, adding that the results of
January and February must be thoroughly analyzed.

FORMER DEFENSE MINISTER WARNS OF POTENTIAL AZERBAIJANI AGGRESSION

ARKA
March, 30, 2010
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, March 30, /ARKA/. Samvel Babayan, a former defense minister
of Nagorno-Karabakh, warned today of a potential military aggression on
part of Azerbaijan saying Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh must focus their
efforts on building powerful states in order to rebuff Azerbaijan’s
‘impudence’. Speaking at a news conference Samvel Babayan said no
political solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is likely in the
next several years.

‘To all appearances Azerbaijan is gearing up for a war, but we all
must work together to prevent it,’ he said.

He was also asked to comment on a recent statement by president
Serzh Sargsyan in an interview with Syrian newspaper Al Watan that
Azerbaijani territory currently held by Armenian forces could be
returned in exchange for security and self-determination for the
Nagorno-Karabakh.

"When the people of Karabakh get a true chance to realize their right
to self-determination and mechanisms for security and development are
created, then in compromise the Armenian side can consider the return
of the regions around Karabakh, preserving the corridor linking it
and Armenia," he said, warning that "unilateral concessions will
deepen the existing dangers and threats."

According to Samvel Babayan, Serzh Sargsyan will not make such
concessions and his statements in the interview should be reviewed
in the political context only.

‘Azerbaijan is not talking about concessions but demands the immediate
return of the territories and when a party to the conflict comes
with such demands it is meaningless to talk about concessions,’ he
said. He then downplayed speculations that the mounting tension around
the conflict may prompt a change of power in Armenia as was in 1998.

The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh broke out in 1988 after the
predominantly Armenian-populated enclave declared about secession
from Azerbaijan As Azerbaijan declared its independence from the
Soviet Union and removed the powers held by the enclave’s government,
the Armenian majority voted in 1991, December 10, to secede from
Azerbaijan and in the process proclaimed the enclave the Republic
of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Full-scale fighting, initiated by Azerbaijan, erupted in the late
winter of 1992. International mediation by several groups including
Europe’s OSCE’s failed to bring an end resolution that both sides
could work with. In the spring of 1993, Armenian forces captured
regions outside the enclave itself. By the end of the war in 1994,
the Armenians were in full control of most of the enclave and also
held and currently control seven regions beyond the administrative
borders of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Almost 1 million people on both sides have been displaced as a result
of the conflict. A Russian- -brokered ceasefire was signed in May
1994 and peace talks, mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group, have been
held ever since by Armenia and Azerbaijan.

LET’S LEAVE THE ISSUE TO HISTORIANS, SAYS ERDOGAN

Aysor
March 30 2010
Armenia

Resolution, branding the 1915 mass killings against Armenians in
Turkey, will harm the process of normalisation of relations with
Armenia, said Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the
conference, where he spoke jointly with German Chancellor Angela
Merkel.

"Let’s leave this issue to the historians," CNN Turk quotes Turkish
PM. "Parliament is not a place for solving such kind of issues,"
he added. Erdogan also pointed that country’s Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu voiced concerns over the issue in a phone conversation with
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Referring to Armenia-Turkey reconciliation, Angela Merkel, who is
on a two-day visit to Turkey, said that "it’s necessary to develop
relations between Armenia and Turkey; Encouraging steps have been
taken," she stressed.

GOVERNMENT DOING BEST TO CURB PRICES, MP STATES

news.am
March 30 2010
Armenia

The Armenian authorities, especially the Central Bank, must do their
best to curb prices and be able to predict price rise," Gagik Minasyan,
Chairman of the Committee on Finance, Credit and Budget, RA Parliament,
told reporters.

He stressed that the expected rise in the gas price will give impetus
to the price rise. In this context, Minasyan said that the Armenian
Government has raised monthly pensions by 2,500 AMD (about U.S. $6),
without reducing other social payments. "Numerous credit programs
tempered the impact of the economic crisis on the socially vulnerable
sections of Armenia’s population," he said.

Minasyan pointed out that prospects can look better if 3% economic
growth is registered in the fist 3-month period of 2010.

PRESIDENT SERZH SARGSYAN RECEIVED THE DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC, MINISTER OF DEFENSE MARTIN BARTAK

president.am
March 28 2010
Armenia

Today, President Serzh Sargsyan received the Deputy Prime Minister
of the Czech Republic, Minister of Defense Martin Bartak.

President Sargsyan said that Armenia was interested in deepening
relations with the Czech Republic in bilateral as well as multilateral
formats.

The parties concurred that the two countries have great potential for
cooperation in the framework of European and Euro-Atlantic structures.

President Sargsyan said that Armenia pays attention to the active
cooperation in international structures since it would considerably
assist the process of reformation in our country, aimed at the
improvement of all areas of public life.

President Sargsyan noted that Armenia is interested in active
cooperation with the Czech Republic in the sphere of defense and the
visit of Deputy Prime Minister Bartak is a good opportunity to put
that interest on a practical base.

In his turn, the Minister of Defense of the Czech Republic noted with
satisfaction that the agreement on military cooperation signed today
between the two countries opens new prospects for cooperation. He
added that they had productive discussions with the Armenian Minister
of Defense and identified concrete areas of joint activities.

Deputy Prime Minister Bartak also said that on this visit to Armenia
he was accompanied by the delegation of Czech businessmen. The parties
expressed hope that the Armenian-Czech business contacts would help
to discover and utilize great potential present in that area.

In the person of Martin Bartak, President Sargsyan thanked the Czech
Republic for its unbiased position regarding the NK conflict and noted
that separation of the Czech Republic and Slovakia was an excellent
example of civilized self-determination.

NKR PRESIDENT MEETS THE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS

armradio.am
29.03.2010 10:35

On March 28 President of the Artsakh Republic Bako Sahakyan met
Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group Robert Bradtke (USA), Yuri Merzlyakov
(Russian Federation) and Bernard Fassier (France), Central Information
Department of the Office of the NKR President reported.

Issues related to the current stage and prospects of the
Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict settlement were discussed during the
meeting.

The Head of State once again underlined that without the full
participation of the Artsakh Republic it would be impossible to reach
final and comprehensive settlement of the conflict.

President Sahakyan noted that unconstructive, militaristic approaches
of Azerbaijan and its denial of mutual confidence initiatives are
the pivotal hindrances on the way of the conflict settlement. The
President underlined that independence and security of Artsakh are
not subjects to any speculations and any attempt to bring back the
past are pregnant with unpredictable consequences.

The President of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic reiterated Artsakh’s
adherence to peaceful settlement of the conflict within the frameworks
of the Minsk Group. The co-chairs also underlined that any scenario
of military solution of the conflict is absolutely unacceptable.

Touching upon the Armenian-Turkish relations, the President noted
that this process does not have any relations to the settlement of
the Karabakh conflict and attempts to tie up these processes cast
negative impact both processes leading them to an impasse.

Issues related to the situation along the line contact were also
discussed at the meeting.

Czech Deputy Prime Minister to Visit Armenia
2010/03/25 | 14:25

politics

Tomorrow, a delegation headed by Martin Bartak, Deputy Prime Minister
and Defense Minister of the Czech Republic, will arrive in Armenia on
an official visit.

The Defense Ministers of Armenia and the Czech Republic Seyran Ohanyan
and Martin Bartak will have a face-to face meeting to be followed by a
document signing ceremony and a press briefing. Mr. Bartak is also
scheduled to pay tribute to the victims of the Armenian Genocide at
the Tzitzernakaberd Memorial Complex.

Turkish Prime Minister meets with a representative of Istanbul’s
Armenian community

26.03.2010 19:54 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Friday, March 26, Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan met with a representative of Istanbul’s Armenian
community Bedros Sirinoglu.

The meeting focused on Genocide issue; Armenia-Turkey rapprochement
and Armenian migrants’ issues were discussed, Anatolian News Agency
reported.

Aysor, Armenia
March 26 2010

The Armenian embassy in Ukraine won’t be privatized

According to the decision of the Civil Council of Kiev, the building
of the Armenian embassy, as well as the Metropolitan of Kiev will be
taken out of the list of the buildings to be privatized.

On March 2 the municipality of Kiev had presented to the auction
buildings where the consulates and embassies of some countries are
situated, the Armenian embassy and Consulate were in that number.

Also the embassies of Turkey, Croatia, Cuban, Polish, Egyptian,
Rumanian, Bulgarian, French, Austrian, Zech, Algerian embassies, as
well as Polish consulate and the representation of the European
committee in Ukraine were to be privatized.

ANSAmed – Italy
March 25, 2010 Thursday 12:24 PM CET

TURKEY: PERMISSION FOR RITE AD AKDAMAR CHURCH IN LAKE VAN;
ONLY ONCE A YEAR, THE RITE IS EXPECTED TO BOOST FAITH TOURISM

ANKARA

(ANSAmed) A religious rite may take place once every year at eastern
province of Van’s Akdamar Church upon a proposal by the Van
Governorship and approval by the Turkish Minister of Culture and
Tourism Ertugrul Gunay, Anatolian News Agency reports. The rite at the
Akdamar Church may take place each year in the second week of
September.

Governor of Van Munir Karaloglu said that the decision to permit a
rite at Akdamar Church (Church of the Holy Cross) will boost faith
tourism in the region and provide important advantages for those in
the tourism sector. Akdamar is a ruined Armenian cathedral in Eastern
Anatolia. Situated on a small island in the beautiful mountain setting
of Lake Van, the Akdamar church dates from the 10th century and is
famed for the fascinating reliefs carved on the exterior.

The Church was once an important Armenian cathedral. The seat of the
Armenian patriarch from 1116 to 1895, the cathedral was founded by
King Gagik between 915 and 921 as part of a royal complex that
included a palace, monastery, streets, gardens and terraced parks. It
was abandoned due to conflict between Armenia and the Ottoman Empire.
The building fell into disrepair and was neglected throughout the 20th
century.

The cathedral was restored by the Turkish government beginning in May
2005. The restoration cost USD 1.5 million and took 18 months to
complete. At a ceremony on March 29, 2007, it was officially opened as
a museum. The restoration project was seen as a diplomatic step by
Turkey to improve relations with Armenia. (ANSAmed). The church was
restored recently.