Author: Felekian Ara

ARMENIA AND GERMANY HOPE TO STRENGTHEN RELATIONS IN DEFENSE

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
30.06.2009 20:51 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan received the
Ambassador of Germany to Armenia Mrs.Andrea Victorine, in connection
with completion of her diplomatic mission. Armenian Defense Minister
thanked the German Ambassador for effective cooperation, for her
personal contribution to development of friendly relations between
the two countries. Seyran Ohanian praised the efforts of Mrs. Andrea
Victorine, aimed at developing Armenian-German cooperation, especially
in military, scientific and military-medical fields, as well as
interaction within the framework of peacekeeping missions. By the
end of the meeting the sides expressed hope that the Armenian-German
friendly relations will strengthen more, including in the field
of defense.

GOVERNMENT OF ARMENIA APPROVES 90BLN AMD WORTH CREDITING PROGRAM FOR STABILIZATION OF ECONOMY BY MEANS OF RUSSIAN CREDIT

ARKA
June 26, 2009

YEREVAN, June 26. /ARKA/. At its visiting session in the city of Kapan
on Friday, the Government of Armenia approved 90bln AMD worth crediting
program for stabilizing economy by means of the Russian credit.

"The program is aimed at spurring GDP growth through partial meeting
of the demand for credit means by business entities amid the economic
crisis," ARKA was told by the Governmental press-service on Friday.

Budget credits will become the form of financing under the program
by following components: crediting of financial and banking system
(in dollars equivalent to 60.5bln AMD), crediting of small and medium
entrepreneurship (6.4bln AMD), crediting of backbone legal entities
ensuring activities of large infrastructures (23.1bln AMD).

According to Premier of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan the 90bln AMD have
been provided for mitigation of consequences of the economic crisis.

"The public pays close attention to use of the Russian credit and
now we can inform that another 24bln AMD will be earmarked for the
disaster area and the same amount will be earmarked for the disaster
area next year. The rest of the sum will remain in the stabilization
fund," said the Premier.

On June 12 the Russian side transferred $500mln of stabilization
credit through a single tranche to the account of20the Central Bank
of Armenia.

Intergovernmental agreement on issuing Armenia $500mln state credit
came into force on June 11. Under the agreement Armenia received a
15-year $500mln credit with four years grace period and at LIBOR plus
3% rate. ($1 – 360.38AMD).

FURTHER ECONOMIC SITUATION IN ARMENIA WILL DEPEND ON EFFICIENT SPENDING OF BORROWED FUNDS IN REAL SECTOR: AMERIABANK DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

ArmInfo
2009-06-23 19:01:00

ArmInfo. Economic decline in Armenia will depend on how effectively the
government will co-lend the borrowed funds to the real sector, Tigran
Jrbashyan, Ameribank Development Director, told media on Tuesday. He
said the government is currently making vital decisions. ‘It will
become clear how effectively the entire mechanism will work in the
period from July to September’, he said.

Nevertheless, he said, 15.7% economic decline for January – May
2009 in Armenia is rather a serious fact. The given situation is the
result of certain disproportion in the economy structure, T. Jrbashyan
said. ‘When economic growth is secured at the expense of one sector,
particularly, the construction sector, this testifies to certain
disproportion in the structure of economy and crisis phenomena in
this sector have much stronger impact on the economic situation than
in the countries with more diversified economy. Russia that depends
on the oil and gas export has occurred in quite similar situation
with disproportional structure of economy’, he said.

The second problem of Armenia’s economy is dependence on transfers,
which are affected by the situation in specific states, and first
of all in Russia, T. Jrbashyan said. The third problem of Armenia is
the geopolitical20situation, growing risks, and cargo traffic. ‘Due
to the measures the Government of Armenia will take, the country may
experience insignificant fall’, he said.

On the other hand, he said, Armenia as compared to all the states
in Eastern Europe has a big safety cushion i.e. not big foreign debt
in the relation to GDP. ‘Due to this, the country is a good borrower
and loans are provided to us with readiness. Nevertheless, the safety
cushion should be transformed into real economic subjects. This process
is rather effective so far and it will be possible to give real
evaluation to this transformation in late 3Q’, he said. The expert
said foreign trade also has a serious impact on GDP especially when
unfavorable balance of trade suffered certain decline.

As regards the devaluation of the national dram in March, Ameriabank
Development Director said it was rather effective and foreign trade
indicators are evidence of it.

By preliminary data of the Armenian National Statistical Service, GDP
in Armenia was down 15.7% over Jan-May 2009. In May versus April, GDP
was up 15.6% to 839.4 bln AMD ($2.4 bln). GDP index deflator grew 1.4%.

Construction sector was down 56.1% for Jan-May and up 88% in May
versus April to 73 billion drams ($212 mln). Foreign turnover was down
33.7% over Jan-May 2009 and 15.9% in May as against April, making up
$1312.1 mln or 451.2 bln drams. In the structure of foreign20turnover,
export fell 47.8% and 15% over May. Import was down 29.9% for January –
May and 16.2% over May. Unfavorable balance of trade for Jan-May 2009
totaled $871.9 million or 35.5% of GDP.

IS COUP D’ETAT POSSIBLE IN ARMENIA?

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
23.06.2009 20:16 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Heritage RA Parliamentary Faction Leader Armen
Martirosyan believes that the political course Armenia has taken is
fraught with serious consequences. " In future political forces might
appear to resort to coup d’etat organization," he said.

Armen Martirosyan emphasized his reluctance for acts of violence,
still, he believes them the only way to open a new page in the
political filed of Armenia.

ARMENIA SIGNS AGREEMENT ON TRASECA MULTIMODAL TRANSPORT PROJECT

ARKA
June 18, 2009

YEREVAN, June 18. /ARKA/. Armenia has signed an agreement on developing
multimodal transport as part of the TRASECA project, said Susanna
Tonoyan, press secretary of the RA Transport Ministry.

"RA Transport Minister Gurgen Sargsyan signed the agreement on behalf
of the RA Government as he participated in the June 15-16 Kyrgyzstan
meeting of the TRASECA Intergovernmental Commission," Tonoyan was
quoted as saying.

The press secretary stressed that the agreement aims at improving
cooperation amongst transport organizations, multimodal transport
operators, ferrymen, shippers, legal entities and individuals. The
document specifies the rights and responsibilities of participants.

Azerbaijan sighed the agreement with clauses, Tonoyan added. The
TRASECA intergovernmental commission appointed Kyrgyzstan’s former
transport minister Zhantoro Satibaldiev as Secretary General of the
TRASECA Permanent Secretariat.

Multimodal transport covers the door-to-door movement of goods under
the responsibility of a single transport operator.

Launched by the European Commission in 1993, TRASECA aims at boosting
Europe-Caucasus-Asia transport corridor, creating alternative transport
routes and using infrastructures available for shipment.

Armenia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Moldova, Romania, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Turkey and Ukraine are
TRASECA members.

ASSAD CALLS FOR BETTER TIES BETWEEN SYRIA AND ARMENIA

The Daily Star
on_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=103200
June 18 2009
Lebanon

BEIRUT: Syrian President Bashar Assad on Wednesday called for
Syrian-Armenian relations to quickly move forward after he met with
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, Syrian state news agency SANA
reported. Syria has a large Armenian community, especially in the
northern city of Aleppo.

Assad’s talks with Sargsyan covered a range of other topics, including
the prospects for Middle East peace.

During his talks with Sargsyan, Assad explained that he does not
envision there being an Israeli partner for peace in the near future,
SANA reported. However, Assad said that "this doesn’t mean that we
will stop talking or working for peace, and when that partner is ready,
the peace plan will be ready and we will save time."

Assad also discussed the Palestinian situation with Sargsyan,
SANA said.

Assad said that he listened to Sargsyan’s views on the disputed
Nogorno-Karabakh region during the two leaders’ talks. The region is
claimed by Azerbaijan but controlled by Armenia.

Assad expressed his hope that "this matter won’t be a permanent crisis,
because the critical problems, as we [are] taught in the Middle East,
[only] become more complicated and more difficult."

He added that "I wanted to listen to President Sargsyan’s viewpoint
before my first visit to Azerbaijan to see how we could help resolve
this problem."

MEDIATION OF SYRIA IN ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS IS ABSURD

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
18.06.2009 18:43 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Mediation of Syria in Armenian-Turkish relations
is absurd, Richard Giragosian, director of the Armenian Center for
National and International Studies (ACNIS), told a PanARMENIAN.Net
reporter.

"I am deeply concerned in what direction Armenia moves as a state,"
he said. Speaking about Syrian mediation in Armenia-Turkish relations,
he stressed, that Yerevan is rather able to become a mediator in
conflict settlement, than a number of countries in Armenian-Turkish
negotiations. He believes, there is a hope for improving the
Armenian-Turkish relations by October , but Ankara must understand
what it wants to achieve in relationships with Armenia.

On October 14 Turkey-Armenia return soccer match will take place
in Kayseri in the framework of qualifying round of the 2010 world
championship.

KINGSTON HAS UNVEILED 128 GB DATATRAVELER 200 FLASH DRIVES

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
18.06.2009 12:22 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Memory and storage developer Kingston has put a 128
GB USB flash drive on the market with an expanded edition of the Data
Traveler 200.

The drive features a retractable USB connector and is enhanced for
Windows ReadyBoost. User of Windows 2000, XP, and Vista can also use
Password Traveler software to create a password-protected area of
the drive dubbed a "privacy zone;" in the event the drive is lost or
stolen, personal or sensitive data wouldn’t be accessible. Kingston
also offers 64 and 32 GB versions of the DataTraveler drives.

As Aram Chopuryan, Executive Director of RAS Computers, leading
importer of Kingston products to Armenia, told a PanARMENIAN.Net
reporter, Data Traveler 200 is already available in Armenia by advance
order. According to him, DataTraveler drives’ price will range from
$95 to $450 depending on storage capacity.

PRESIDENT OF SYRIA ARRIVING IN ARMENIA

armradio.am
17.06.2009 10:44

The President of the Arab Republic of Syria, Bashar Al-Assad, and
Mrs.Asma Al-Assad will arrive in Armenia on June 17 on a two-day
official visit at the invitation of the President of Armenia,
Serzh Sargsyan.

Following the welcome ceremony at the President’s Office, Presidents
Serzh Sargsyan and Bashar Al-Assad will have a face-to face
meeting. The meeting will continue in an extended format, following
which a number of intergovernmental and interdepartmental documents
will be signed. The leaders of Armenia and Syria will give a joint
press conference.

In the evening of June 17 President Serzh Sargsyan and Mrs. Rita
Sargsyan will give a dinner in honor of the Syrian President, Bashar
Al-Assad, and Mrs. Asma Al-Assad.

Within the framework of the visit Bashar Al-Assad will have meetings
with the Speaker of the National Assembly, Hovik Abrahamyan and Prime
Minister Tigran Sargsyan. His Holiness Garegin II, Supreme Patriarch
and Catholicos of All Armenians will host the President of Syria at
the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

On June 18 the Presidents of Armenia and Syria will attend the opening
ceremony of the Armenian-Syrian business forum.

During the stay in Armenia, President Basdhar Al-Assad will visit
Matenadaran.

CHARITY CONCERT MARKS 15TH ANNIVERSARY OF HAYASTAN ALL-ARMENIAN FUND GERMAN AFFILIATE

AZG Armenian Daily
17/06/2009

Diaspora-Armenia

Proceeds to benefit reconstruction of Noyemberyan Regional Hospital

On May 31, a major concert celebrating the 15th anniversary of the
Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s German affiliate was held at the Haus
Burgpark hall in Hurth, near Cologne, Germany. Featuring the Navasart
Ensemble, a critically acclaimed French-Armenian folk-dance troupe
based in Paris, the charity event was attended by an audience of 800.

Proceeds from the concert – which was sponsored by the fund’s German
and Swiss affiliates as well as Association of Armenian Business-Man
(Germany), and Armenian Medical Association of Germany – will benefit
the reconstruction of the Noyemberyan Regional Hospital, in Armenia’s
Tavush Region.

The Navasart Ensemble’s performances were preceded by the screening of
a documentary film on the history and accomplishments of the fund’s
German affiliate. In his opening remarks, Gilbert Momdjian, chair of
the affiliate, stated that the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund continues
to function as a bastion of worldwide Armenian unity and collaboration.

The concert’s honorary guests included Avedis Kizirian and Noebar
Sepojan Sipaan, chairs of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s Switzerland
and Netherlands affiliates, respectively; German-Jewish journalist
and film director Ralph Giordano, who has championed international
efforts to recognize the Genocide of the Armenians; as well as German
elected officials and representatives of various organizations.

Renowned across Europe for its dazzling productions and high level
of artistry, the Navasart Ensemble is led by conductor and artistic
director Eddy Djololian. Throughout their performances in Hurth,
the troupe’s 60 musicians and dancers received waves of applause and
several standing ovations.

"It is wonderful that charity concerts such as this help support new
development projects such as the reconstruction of the Noyemberyan
Regional Hospital," said Ara Vardanyan, executive director of the
Hayastan All-Armenian Fund.