Author: Hovhannisian John

VTB BANK (ARMENIA) REDUCES FOREIGN CURRENCY DEPOSITS RATES

ArmInfo
2010-05-19 16:57:00

ArmInfo. The total dram credit portfolio of VTB Bank (Armenia) has
grown by 5% according to the results of the 1Q 2010. As the bank
assessed, the process of the demand activation for the dram credits
will continue, press-service of VTB Bank (Armenia) reported. Certain
passiveness of the demand for the foreign currency credits has
been noticed, which may be connected with reduction of rates at the
world market and oversupply of liquidity. The leadership of VTB Bank
(Armenia) has adopted a decision along with reduction of the interest
rates for the corporative credit products in foreign currency, to
reduce the rates for foreign currency deposits by average 2%, ruling
out small deposits of individual persons in an amount proportional
to less than 1 mln drams.

To note, over Q1 2010 VTB Bank (Armenia) increased the amount of
assets by 19% to 126 bln AMD by 1 April 2010 as compared with Q1 2009.

In the structure of assets the share of credit portfolio made up 58%,
or 73 bln AMD (0,3% quarterly growth). In the credit portfolio of the
bank the volume of crediting individuals grew by 16,6% to 26.7 bln
AMD. In particular, the lion’s share of loans for individuals fell
on consumer credits – 68,2%, or 18.2 bln AMD (almost 36% growth since
the beginning of 2010), excluding mortgage credits, the portfolio of
which amounted to 8.5 bln AMD as of the end of Q1 2010. In the credit
portfolio of VTB Bank (Armenia) the share of loans for large business
made up almost 37% – 27 bln AMD, and the loans for small and medium
business – about 27% – 19.6 bln AMD. To recall, the sole owner of
VTB Bank (Armenia) CJSC is VTB Bank (Russia).

FRENCH AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA COULD BROKER KARABAKH CONFLICT – SOURCE

Interfax
May 18 2010
Russia

The French co-chairman of the OSCE (Organization for Security and
Co-operation in Europe) Minsk Group, Bernard Fassier, will soon step
down, a diplomatic source told Interfax on Monday.

He could be succeeded by current French Ambassador to Armenia Serge
Smesov, he said.

The Karabakh conflict is mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group which
consist of Russia, the United States and France.

Yerevan to host 2011 Pan-Armenian Games

May 15, 2010 – 17:30 AMT 12:30 GMT
PanARMENIAN.Net –

Yerevan hosted a meeting of the World Committee of the Pan-Armenian
Games Executive Committee on May 15. During it, chief judge of 2009
Pan-Armenian Games Yeghishe Davtyan submitted a reported on the games
to Committee’s President Armen Grigoryan and representatives of
Armenian communities.

According to Davtyan, 20 basketball (both men and women) and 15
football teams participated in 2009 Pan-Armenian Games.

Davtyan voiced regret over limited number of women teams, saying that,
however, the games were successful.

Yerevan will host 2011 Pan-Armenian Games, due August 13-21. According
to the chief judge, the Armenian government allocated AMD 80mln for
the games organization.

The Pan-Armenian Games’ program includes the following sports:
football, futsal, basketball, volleyball, table tennis and tennis,
athletics, swimming, badminton and chess.

SAFRASTYAN: RUSSIAN-TURKISH TIES BASED ON ENERGY ISSUE

Panorama.am
14/05/2010

Turkish authorities have deeply disappointed in recent 1-2 years
from the activities of Euro integration. It’s obvious that Turkish
authorities have little hope which makes them to find new directions
for their ambitions, expert of Turkish studies and director of Oriental
studies institute Ruben Safrastyan said.

"This is the aftermath of Turkey’s new policy which is being
consistently implemented by Turkey," expert said adding that the
neighbor country is long to become ruling state in the region. Of
course, Turkey is well developing but in energy field they aren’t as
much powerful and they buy Russian gas.

Friendly ties with Russia, according to Safrastyan are conditioned by
that very point. "~TRussia, trying to use its huge amount of energy,
wants to recover Soviet Union dispositions in the Middle East,"
he said underscoring that it’s of great significance for Russia.

Russian-Turkish friendly ties are based on energy field, as well as
U.S being more passive in the region. "Turkey seems to be driven out
of regional affairs," Safrastyan said adding possibly this is the
reason why they want communication with Armenia.

SPEECH-SUGGESTION OF ARTSAKH REPUBLIC PRESIDENT BAKO SAHAKYAN DELIVERED AT THE MEETING OF THE "HAYASTAN" ALL-ARMENIAN FUND’S BOARD OF TRUSTEES

ARMENPRESS
MAY 14, 2010
STEPANAKERT

STEPANAKERT, MAY 14, ARMENPRESS: President of the NKR Bako Sahakyan
participated today in the session of the Board of Trustees of the
"Hayastan" All-Armenian Fund and delivered speech-suggestion. NKR
presidential press office told Armenpress that the speech-suggestion
runs as follows:

"Honorable President of the Republic of Armenia, Your Holiness,
Respected colleagues,

First of all I would like to welcome the working style of the
"Hayastan" All-Armenian Fund Board of Trustees envisaging on site
introduction with carried out programs, exchanging ideas about the
work done and discussing important issues in an immediate atmosphere.

Your traditional visits to Artsakh on the eve of the annual meeting
of the Fund’s Board of Trustees are a good evidence of that.

The activity of the Fund is of utmost importance for strengthening
and flourishing of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, improving living
conditions and raising lining standards of our people.

As during the years of the post-war period today there are issues
in Artsakh that have national significance too. These issues can be
solved only by joint efforts of the whole Armenians. In this row the
restoration of the republic’s water supply system, which was almost
completely destroyed in the result of the military operations is of
primary importance.

The authorities of Artsakh together with Armenia and the Diaspora set
about the development of this economically and politically significant
sphere. Together we managed to realize a number of complex programs
directed to improving the water supply of the country. Owing to the
active participation of the "Hayastan" All-Armenian Fund drinking
and irrigation water needs of dozens of settlements have fully been
satisfied, some objects in the capital Stepanakert and regional
centers have been restored.

However, there are still numerous tasks to be fulfilled. Two hundred
villages out of 323 existing in Artsakh face sharp shortage of drinking
water and need urgent solutions. Serious problems exist in Stepanakert
and in the regional centers where more than half of the republic’s
population lives. This program is quite expensive. Only in the capital
the construction of new water supply objects and restoration of the
operating ones require 6,5 billion dram.

It is obvious that the problem of water supply in Artsakh can be
solved exclusively by means of our joint efforts.

Taking into consideration the significance of this strategic program,
I propose to discuss inclusion of water supply issue that has vital
importance for Artsakh into the framework of "Telethon-2010". This
will provide opportunities to realize corresponding programs improving
water supply system of the republic.

Thank you."

ARAM SARGSYAN: ARMENIA SHOULD RENOUNCE MADRID PRINCIPLES

PanARMENIAN.Net
May 14, 2010 – 15:17 AMT 10:17 GMT

The region is witnessing processes which will inevitably affect both
Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh, according to the leader of the Democratic
Party of Armenia.

"Russian President’s statement on the willingness to contribute to the
Karabakh conflict resolution jointly with Turkey should arouse serious
concerns in Armenia, as Turkey will pursue Azerbaijan’s interests,"
Aram Sargsyan told reporters in Yerevan on May 14.

He also emphasized that Armenia should renounce Madrid Principles,
which envisage surrender of territories and conduction of a
referendum. "The Madrid Document is the worst of all those offered
before," he said.

As to Armenian-Turkish rapprochement, Mr. Sargsyan said that relations
should be normalized not by signing Protocols but through exchange
of diplomatic notes.

TURKEY CONTINUES EXTENDING FRIENDLY HAND TO ARMENIA, TURKISH VICE PREMIER

news.az
May 13 2010
Azerbaijan

Ali Babajan ‘We are now working at the schedule of implementation
of protocols.’

One of the authors of the Zurich protocols with Armenia, Turkish vice
premier Ali Babajan said at the meeting with entrepreneurs that Ankara
remains loyal to the signed protocols.

"Turkey wants to build normal and trusty relations with all neighboring
countries, including Armenia. We have signed the first protocols with
Armenia and we continue extending it a friendly hand. We are now
working at the schedule of implementation of these protocols", Ali
Babajan said, 1news.az reports with reference to Milliyet newspaper.

The Turkish vice premier also stressed the high relations of his
country with Russia.

"This factor will further raise our role in regional processes",
Babajan said.

VLADIMIR KAZIMIROV ADDRESSES PARTICIPANTS IN ROUNDTABLE IN STEPANAKERT

ArmInfo
2010-05-13 11:09:00

ArmInfo. Retired Ambassador of Russia, first Deputy Chairman of
the Association of Russian Diploamts Vladimir Kazimirov addressed
participants in the Roundtable in Stepanakert on a topic "Karabakh
Settlement. Legal and Political Aspects", organized by the and timed
to the 16th anniversary of signing of a long-term armistice, reached
between Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan and Armenia under mediation of
Russia on May 12, 1994.

As ArmInfo’s special correspondent in Stepanakert reports, the
address said in particular: "I address, irrespective of nationality,
to everyone who realizes the importance of termless armistice in the
Karabakh conflict reached under mediation of Russia on May 12, 1994.

This act succeeded to terminate mass bloodshed in Karabakh and
compromise the idea of solution of this complicated conflict by force.

At present, when impetuous heads keep on maniacally bearing such ideas,
all the men of sense should say them resolute "No!". A war, as an
extreme form to torture peoples, is incommensurable with any version of
development of events by charges and losses, however, it is not give
a way-out for the conflict settlement. Under oppression of victims
and destructions, under external pressure, the parties will have to
start negotiating again, but in a worse situation, aggravated with
new rigours and very rapidly intensified mutual distrust. A new war
would enroot enmity and hatred between Azerbaijanis and Armenians… I
shall be happy to be among those who argue against follies of war
and support peaceful political settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

To recall, a lawyer from Yerevan Andrias Ghukasyan and senior
expert of the Armenian Center for National and International Studies
Manvel Sarkisyan made speeches during the Roundtable. They presented
different legal and political aspects of the Karabakh problem and
the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict settlement process.

OSCE CONDUCTS MONITORING IN CONTACT LINE OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH, AZERBAIJANI ARMED FORCES

Panorama.am
13/05/2010

In accordance with the earlier achieved agreement with the NKR
authorities the OSCE mission conducted Á regular monitoring of the
line of contact of Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijani Armed Forces near
Jraberd settlement of Martakert region, NKR Thursday.

>From the positions of the NKR Defense Army the monitoring was
conducted by Field Assistants of the Personal Representative of the
OSCE Chairman-in-Office Antal Herdich(Hungary) and William Pryor
(Great Britain).

According to the NKR MFA, during the monitoring no violation of
cease-fire regime was registered. However, the Azerbaijani side,
unlike the Karabakhi one, did not lead the OSCE mission to the earlier
agreed point of its front-lines, as a result of which the monitoring
was to be conducted from a farther distance.

The monitoring mission from the Karabakhi side was accompanied by
representatives of the NKR Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs.

GRAND MASTER KAREN MOVSISIAN MISSES HIS CHANCE TO WIN

Aysor
May 12 2010
Armenia

Armenia’s Grand Master Karen Movsisian has resulted the Chess Open,
taking place in Spain’s Salou, in 5 points out of 8, Armenian Chess
Federation spokesperson said. The tournament’s leaders are Ukraine’s
Grand Master Sergei Feodorchuk and Cuba’s Omar Almeida, who both top
the champs at 6,5 points.