Author: Jagharian Tania

ARMENIAN MONUMENTS IN TURKEY BEING TRANSFORMED INTO ‘OTTOMAN HERITAGE’

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
21.05.2009 12:45 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The ruins of ancient Armenian capital Ani will
probably have the fate Holy Cross Church on Ahtamar Island.

As a PanARMENIAN.Net corresponded reported from the scene, restoration
works are being carried out by Turkish specialists on the ruins of Ani.

According to RA Ministry of Culture spokesperson Gayane Durgaryan,
Armenia offered Turkey to send specialists but received no response
so far.

Presently, the foundations of temples and support pillars of the
Cathedral and city wall are being fortified.

MEETINGS

A1+
07:30 pm | May 19, 2009

RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan met today with President of the
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Bako Sahakyan.

The Armenian PM attached importance to the steps taken by the
governments of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh aimed at bilateral
cooperation and mitigating the effects of the financial-economic
crisis.

During the meeting, the sides exchanged views on the current economic
reforms taking place in Nagorno-Karabakh. The NKR President said that
the planning of joint programs with support from Armenian partners
has shaped a productive partnership and registered tangible results.

Participating in the meeting was NKR Prime Minister Ara Harutyunyan.

NKR President Bako Sahakyan also met with Chairman of the RA National
Assembly Hovik Abrahamyan.

AMERIABANK (ARMENIA) INTRODUCING AUTOMATED BUSINESS PROCESS CONTROL SYSTEM

Noyan Tapan
May 18, 2009

YEREVAN, May 18. /ARKA/. Ameriabank (Armenia), which received a new
international quality7 certificate ISO 9001:2008 on April 7, has
started introducing an automated system of business process control.

The Ameriabank Public Relations Service reported that the bank is
currently running about 70 business processes, which are monitored
and improved.

The Ameriabank specialist in quality was sent abroad to study the
programs of the leading companies –

ARIS, AllFusion (BPwin), Dialog Strategy (Corporate Express),
Business Studio.

The Ameriabank is a corporate investment bank offering corporate,
investment and retail services in one package.

Ruben Vardanyan is Chairman of the Board of Directors, and Artak
Anesyan is Director General. The Troika Dialog Group, one of the
largest Russian investment companies, is the bank’s strategic partner.

Certificate 01 100 051317, which certifies the conformity to the new
international quality standard ISO 9001:2008 was issued to the bank
by the international company TUV RHEINLAND GROUP (Germany).

Ameriabank was the first on the Armenian financial market to receive
an ISO 9001:2008 certificate. About a year ago the bank started
elaborating and introducing a quality management system in conformity
with ISO 9001:2008.

The CSP Middle East S.A.R.L. acted as advisor to the bank.

PRESIDENT OF ARMENIA: ANY ATTEMPT OF TURKEY TO INTERFERE WITH KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT PROCESS MAY NEGATIVELY AFFECT THE KARABAKH NEGOTIATING PROCESS

ArmInfo
2009-05-18 11:21:00

ArmInfo. Any attempt of Turkey to interfere with the Karabakh
conflict settlement process may negatively affect the negotiating
process between Armenia and Azerbaijan, President of Armenia Serzh
Sargsyan said during the meeting with EU Special Representative to
South Caucasus Peter Semneby.

In particular, the president emphasized one again that Armenia
sees the solution of the Karabakh problem only within the frames
of OSCE Minsk Group based on the Madrid proposals, according to
the principles of the right for self-determination and exclusion of
the use of force, fixed in the fundamental international documents,
as well as the provisions of the Helsinki statement of OSCE states’
foreign ministers. The president expressed readiness of Armenia to
normalize the relations with Turkey without preconditions within
the frames of the agreements reached. S. Sargsyan marked Armenia’s
adherence to the European values and emphasized that the "European
Partnership" summit in Prague is a successful start for attachment of a
new content and further extension of relations between Armenia and EU.

S. Sargsyan and P. Semneby expressed confidence that frequent
meetings and discussions indicate the extending agenda of EU-Armenia
interaction, as well as allow to quickly respond to the arising
problems and give the relevant solutions. Moreover, the parties highly
appreciated the balanced approaches to the Karabakh problem specified
in the final statement of the ‘European Partnership’ summit.

VLADIMIR KAZIMIROV CONSIDERS NECESSARY TO WORK OUT SYSTEM OF COMPULSION OF PEACE

Noyan Tapan
May 15, 2009

YEREVAN, MAY 15, NOYAN TAPAN. Vladimir Kazimirov, the former Russian
Co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, considers that resumption of military
operations on the Armenian-Azeri contact line should be in no case
permitted. According to him, the Armenian and Azeri armed forces have
approximately the same military potential, and in those conditions
a war can last rather long and lead to no result. Besides, military
operations will call forth a strict response by the international
community.

Therefore, as he mentioned at the May 15 press conference, not signing
of some agreement between the sides, but its fulfillment in the future
is more important. V. Kazimirov reminded that the agreement signed
in 1995 on events of strengthening the ceasefire established in 1994
was not fulfilled, as it is not beneficial for all sides signing
the document. In particular, Baku does not like it that Stepanakert
has also signed the agreement. The Russian diplomat said that the
Armenian and Karabakh leaders have expressed readiness to return to
fulfillment of that document’s points if Azerbaijan does the same,
but no response was received from Baku. "It is obvious that someone
needs ceasefire violation," V. Kazimirov said. He also mentioned
that Baku that has repeatedly expressed concern on cases of ceasfire
violation has never presented a proposal for preventing them.

According to V. Kazimirov, under the circumstances of lack of
security guarantees it is difficult to imagine fulfillment of any
signed document. In his words, for the Armenians to return some
territory they should be convinced that Azeri side’s attack will not
follow it. "It is also obvious that international community’s calls
for keeping peace are addressed to neither Yerevan nor Stepanakert,
but to the very Baku," the speaker said.

Vladimir Kazimirov considers necessary to work out a system of
compulsion of peace, which should be done in a civilized way, by
political and diplomatic methods. According to him, countries to be
involved in peacekeeping actions should be ready for compulsion of
peace to the sides by military methods if necessary. And whether there
will be such volunteers among OSCE member countries’ peacekeepers –
it is difficult to say.

EBRD MEETING TO FOCUS ON FINANCIAL CRISIS IMPACT

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
15.05.2009 11:57 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Ministers, senior officials and business leaders
from more than 60 countries are meeting today in London to discuss
the impact of the financial crisis in central and eastern Europe.

The 18th Annual Meeting of the European Bank of Reconstruction and
Development will review the response to the crisis and the Bank’s
increased investments in the financial sector as well as enterprises
in the region.

The EBRD’s shareholders will assess the impact of the crisis on
the region and determine how the EBRD can play an effective role,
supporting the recovery both now and in the longer term.

The meeting will also bring together international policy makers and
economists to discuss the future international financial architecture.

"During the two-day meeting (15-16 May) the Bank is expected to sign
a number of projects, sealing further investments in the financial,
enterprise and infrastructure sector. In the first quarter of this
year, investments rose 64 percent to â~B¬1.1 billion compared to last
year," EBRD reported.

Representatives of the leading banking groups active in eastern Europe
will attend the meetings. The EBRD is working closely together with
these banks and with other International Financial Institutions to
ensure that funds keep flowing to the real economies of the region.

Most recently, the EBRD joined forces with the UniCredit group,
announcing on May 7 plans to provide over â~B¬430 million mainly into
small businesses in eight eastern European countries. The Bank has
also invested in locally owned banks in the region, including the
acquisition of a 25 percent plus one share stake in Latvia’s Parex
Banka and a â~B¬100 million loan to one of Romania’s leading local
SME banks, Banca Transilvania.

The Bank’s response has included a joint initiative with the World
Bank Group and European Investment Bank to invest â~B¬24.5 billion
across the region to meet the financial needs of banking groups,
securing their continued engagement and maintaining their capacity
to lend to small- and medium-sized enterprise.

The EBRD is also looking beyond the immediate demands of the crisis
to ensure that economies in the region continue to prepare for the
longer-term future.

During the meeting the EBRD will unveil plans to extend its investments
in energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. The EBRD’s
Sustainable Energy Initiative launched in 2006 has already led to
investments of â~B¬14 billion over the last three years, helping to
reduce energy intensity and to make economies more competitive.

As usual the EBRD is staging a Business Forum alongside the Annual
Meeting, providing a platform this year for senior politicians and
policy-makers, business executives and economic experts to draw
lessons from the crisis and map out solutions.

Under the heading "Investing for the Future: Opportunities in a
Tougher Climate", the Forum is focused firmly on the region, analyzing
the changing landscape of the financial sector, over-dependence on
commodities, the importance of energy efficiency and the key role
of infrastructure investment as an engine of economic growth, The
Financial reported.

H. ABRAHAMYAN SAYS THE EU "EASTERN PARTNERSHIP" INITIATIVE OPENS NEW HORIZONS FOR COOPERATION WITH EU

ARMENPRESS
May 13, 2009

YEREVAN, MAY 13, ARMENPRESS: The NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan received
Secretary General of European International Movement Henrik Kronen.

Public relations department of the Armenian Parliament told Armenpress
that on the guest’s request during the conversation the NA Speaker
presented the activity of Armenian legislative body towards the
integration into the European family. He stressed that the lately
kicked off EU "Eastern Partnership" initiative opens new horizons
for the cooperation with the EU and that Armenia will by all means
make use of all the opportunities.

In his turn Secretary General H. Kronen presented to H. Abrahamyan the
history of European International Movement, its issues and objectives,
after which the interlocutors referred to the activity of the Movement
in Armenia.

Chairman of the Armenian Council of the European Movement Viktor
Yengibarian also took part in the meeting.

PRESIDENT OF ARMENIA APPOINTS THREE NEW MINISTERS – LABOR AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS, EDUCATION AND SCIENCE, AGRICULTURE

ARKA
May 13, 2009

YEREVAN, May 13. /ARKA/. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan signed
a decree on Tuesday on appointing Gevork Petrosyan Minister of Labor
and Social Affairs, Armen Ashotyan Minister of Education and Science
and Gerasim Alaverdyan Minister of Agriculture.

The newly appointed ministers took the places of resigned
representatives of Dashnaktsutyun Party Arsen Hambardzumyan, Spartak
Seyranyan and Aramayis Grigoryan respectively.

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation "Dashnaktsutyun" (ARFD) was a
member of the coalition in power formed on March 21 2008 and left the
coalition on April 27 due to disagreement with the Armenian authorities
concerning the steps on normalization of relations with Turkey.

The current coalition includes the Republican Party of Armenia,
"Prosperous Armenia" Party and "State of Law".

After ARFD announced its leaving the coalition, representatives of
the party filed applications for resignation from all their offices
in the legislative and executive powers. Namely: three ministerial
offices – agriculture, education and science, labor and social affairs,
as well as the offices of vice-speaker of the Parliament, heads of
two standing parliamentary committees – on foreign relations and on
defense, national security and internal affairs. The last two offices
belonged to Dashnaktsutyun Party.

Gevork Petrosyan ("Prosperous Armenia" Party) was born in 1972. In
1995 graduated with honors from faculty of law of the Yerevan State
University. Lectured at the Yerevan State University and other higher
schools. In 2005-2009 worked in telecommunication company "ArmenTel"
as a legal advisor for the general director, and then as chief expert
for the issues of labor rights. Co-author of school-books "Theory
of state and rights" and "State and rights". Author of two dozens of
scientific articles and publications. Member of the political board
of the "Prosperous Armenia" Party. Married, has three children.

Armen Ashotyan (Republican Party of Armenia") was born in
1975. In 1998 graduated from Yerevan State Medical University
after Mkhitar Heratsi. In 1999-2000 studied in French University
AIX-Marseille. Candidate of medical sciences. In 2005 graduated from
Moscow School of Political Researches.

Deputy of the National Assembly since 2005. Headed committees
on science , education, culture, youth and sport. Decorated with
"Garegin Nzhdeh" award. Married, has a child.

Gerasim Alaverdyan (State of Law Party) was born in 1965 in the village
of Srashen of Kapan region. In 1991 graduated from technology faculty
of the Yerevan Politechnical Institute as a mechanical engineer. In
2004-2008 worked in the Supervisory Chamber of the Armenian National
Assembly as a member o f the Council, then as the chief of the
management of the state budget.

Since 2008 worked as the chief manager at the Supervisory Chamber of
Armenia, supervised sectors of agriculture, protection of nature and
water system. Member of management of State of Law Party, chairman of
the committee on agricultural issues of the party. Married, has a son,
a daughter and a grandson.

Interfax, Russia
May 5 2009

REFUGEES MUST RETURN TO NAGORNO-KARABAKH BEFORE STATUS TALKS

Talks on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh can only start after refugees
return to their homes, Azeri Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov told
reporters on Tuesday.

"If the population of the region is to return to their land, the
territory around Nagorno-Karabakh must be liberated, people must
return to this territory, the roads must be reopened cooperation
launched and security guaranteed," he said.

"If this does not happen and Azeris fail to return to Nagorno-
Karabakh, no discussion of the status will be possible and no talks
can be held on how a normal environment could be created in connection
with this region," Azimov said.

"A sequence is seen here, set by the logic of the process, not by
us. Logic demands that," he said.

Assessing the situation ahead of the talks between the Azeri and
Armenian presidents in Prague on May 7, Azimov said that discussions
are continuing on the draft, proposed by the co-chairmen [the basic
principles of settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict].

"Some questions remain open, while others remain the subject of
disagreement. On the whole, as previously, nothing is deemed
negotiated before agreement is reached on all aspects. The work must
continue based on these principles," the Azeri diplomat said.

No ‘arithmetic’ can be involved in the talks on Nagorno-Karabakh and
all territories must be liberated unequivocally, he said. "Nagorno-
Karabakh will remain part of Azerbaijan. A concrete model will be
developed for the co-existence of two communities in it," Azimov said.

LIVE FROM THE ARMENIAN PRESS CONFERENCE
by Kristof Friday

3minutes.me
al-selections-09/583-live-from-the-armenian-press- conference
May 8 2009

3minutes.meLive Blog Inga & Anush
Armenia: Inga & Anush – Jan Jan.

7:24 Fresh Art have a partnership with the singers Inga & Anush.

7:25 Inga & Anush would like to tour after Eurovision. They will come
up with some new projects and songs very soon.

7:27 Aremenia has been very succesful recently, does this add pressure
on them? Indeed, they see this as a very challenging contest to
represent Aremenia.

7:30 Aslan from Fresh Art says that Eurovision is still a contest
and they hope to make it to the final.

7:31 What do they think of the new system with partial jury voting
in the final? As they are professional singers they are delighted
about the new system.

7:38 The change in costumes from colourful in the video clip to rather
black outfit now is explained by the fact that Fresh Art only got
involved with Inga and Anush after the videoclip was shot.

End of Press Conference.