Author: Jalatian Sonya

REVENUES OF ARMENIAN STATE BUDGET DECLINE BY 13.3% IN JANUARY-MAY 2009 ON SAME PERIOD OF LAST YEAR

Noyan Tapan
July 1, 2009

YEREVAN, JULY 1, NOYAN TAPAN. The revenues and expenditures of the RA
state budget amounted to 244.8bn drams and 279.2bn drams respectively,
which ensured the fulfilment of the six-month program specified by
the Armenian government by 75% and 73.8% respectively. The annual
programmed indices of the state budget were fulfiled by 27.3%
(revenues) and 31.3% (expenditures).

The state budget revenues declined by 13.3% or 37.5bn drams as compared
to the same period of 2008, which was conditioned by a 19.2% fall (by
45bn drams) in tax and duty collection. In the same period, compulsory
social security payments and other revenues grew by 1.1bn drams (3%)
and 3.9bn drams (38.1%) respectively. Official grants amounted to
2.6bn drams compared to 142.5m drams last year.

In accordance with Article 9 Point 18 of the RA Law on the 2009
State Budget of the Republic of Armenia, resources of the off-budget
funds of state institutions, whose revenues made 6.7bn drams in the
reporting period against 6bn drams last year, were also included in
the state budget.

PRIME MINISTER TIGRAN SARGSYAN TODAY CONGRATULATED REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA PRESIDENT SERZH SARGSYAN ON HIS 55TH BIRTHDAY ANNIVERSARY

Tuesday, 30 June 2009

Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan today congratulated Republic of
Armenia President Serzh Sargsyan on his 55th birthday anniversary. The
congratulatory message states in part:

"Dear Mr. President,

Please accept my warmest congratulations and kind wishes on your 55th
birthday anniversary. I wish you robust health, much happiness and
new achievements for the sake of Armenia and the Armenian people.

Once again, I congratulate you and wish you all the best."

ARMENTEL CONGRATULATES SCHOOL LEAVERS OF PARAKAR RURAL COMMUNITY

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
30.06.2009 17:28 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ ArmenTel (trade mark Beeline) congratulated school
leavers of Parakar rural community Armentel’s Director General Igor
Climko handed cell phones and gold numbers to students who finished
school with honors. "ArmenTel is pleased to celebrate this holiday with
you today. We attach great importance to education and development
of children and young people, because knowledge is eternal value,"
Igor Climko said. Ashot Ghaghramanyan, governor of the Armavir region,
congratulated graduates. "You are the future of our country. Today
you enter the life. I wish you a favorable wind in your endeavors,
and I’m confident that you will become worthy citizens of our country,"
Governor of the Armavir region said.

ACCORDING TO RUSSIAN ACADEMICIAN, ARMENIA NEEDS 10 SCIENTISTS AND TWO MILLION DOLLARS TO BECOME PROSPERIOUS COUNTRY IN 5 YEARS

Noyan Tapan
June 29, 2009

YEREVAN, JUNE 29, NOYAN TAPAN. Innovation economy is the only way out
of the global crisis. The scientists participating in the international
conference "The Innovation Way of the Development of Cooperating
Countries: The Strategies and Prospects" came to this conclusion.

The conference opened on June 29. Among its organizers are the
RA National Academy of Sciences (NAS), Yerevan Architectural and
Contruction Institute, "Globelix R" Innovation Academy scientific
research institute (Russia) and Saratov State Technical University.

"Our purpose is to outline the conditions for developing innovation
economy in Armenia and other CIS countries. New conditions require new
approaches, and we can achieve that through successful cooperation,"
President of the RA NAS Radik Martirosian stated.

In the words of Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Sergei
Glazev, Armenia needs ten scientists and two million dollars to become
a prosperous country in 5 years. He presented this anticrisis recipe
for Armenia when giving his report.

As a long-term direction, he indicated the complex development of
atomic industry on the basis of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant. In
his opinion, the atomic industry is now developing in only one
direction: generation of power.

He pointed out the funding of science at higher educational
institutions with the aim of engaging young experts as another
long-term direction.

Along with the creation of national innovation systems, the mechanisms
of the formation of interstate innovation systems were discussed as
well, which is a way of overcoming the global crisis, the scientists
said.

According to the press service of the RA NAS, it was decided to
organize an enlarged conference on innovation economy so that all
CIS countries could participate in it.

Charles Aznavour submitted his credentials to UN Headquarters in Geneva
27.06.2009 19:37 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On June 26, UN permanent representative in Geneva
Charles Aznavour submitted his credentials to Sergo Orjonikidze, Head
of United Nations Geneva Headquarters.
During the discussion held subsequently, Orjonikidze highly
appreciated RA President’s decision to appoint Charles Aznavur as
permanent representative, since his activities are important both for
Armenia and UN, RA MFA press service reports.

"EASTERN PARTNERSHIP" – A POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC PROJECT

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
26.06.2009 17:53 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Eastern Partnership project enables member states to
sign associate membership agreement, but such status cannot grow into
full membership, Alexander Duleba, Head of Foreign Policy Association
centre, announced in Yerevan during a press-conference devoted to
"Eastern Partnership and Prospects for Democracy Building in South
Caucasus". The program, according to him, pursues political goals which
may later develop into economic projects. "The action plan submitted by
Poland and Sweden is a political document and not a treaty. However,
there are prospects for creating a European labor market. But
that project too, should apply only to EU member states. "Eastern
Partnership is aimed at diversification of gas pipelines to Europe
and should be the first step towards creating a European Economic
Area," Duleba said, adding that South Caucasian countries, Ukraine,
Belarus and Moldova are required to modernize their economy.

IRAN’S ELECTORAL WATCHDOG SAID NO FRAUD IN JUNE 12 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
26.06.2009 23:51 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The spokesman of Iran’s electoral watchdog, the
Guardians Council, Abbasali Kadkhodai said that there was no fraud
in the June 12 presidential election that saw Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
win a new four-year term.

"After 10 days of examination, we did not see any major
irregularities," Kadkhodai told the official IRNA news agency.

"We have had no fraud in any presidential election and this one was
the cleanest election we have had. I can say with certainty that
there was no fraud in this election."

Kadkhodai said the examinations were almost complete, and once they
are final, a report will be issued to the public on the matter.

A few days ago Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei instructed
the council to extend the deadline for candidates to file complaints.

According to Kadkhodai, "The extension is meant to give the candidates’
supporters a stronger feeling of security and create trust."

The Guardians Council is the body that supervises the election
process in Iran, and is responsible for ratifying the final results,
AFP reported.

ARMENIAN WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF CALIFORNIA ANNOUNCES LITERARY CONTEST OF HRANT AND MANUSH SIMONIAN

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
25.06.2009 17:22 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Writers Association of California announces
a literary contest of Hrant and Manush Simonian to select the best
poet and prose writer of the year. The winners of the first contest
will receive $500 awards.

Interested persons can submit up to 15 poems or 5 novels to the office
of Armenian Writers Association of California. Names of the winners
will be announced in late September and the award-giving ceremony
will be held on October 1 at the Glendale Public Library.

HAYASTAN ALL-ARMENIAN FUND BUILDS SCHOOL FOR ARTSAKH’S VAGHUHAS AND KHNKAVAN COMMUNITIES

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
26.06.2009 13:30 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Hayastan All-Armenian Fund has begun construction
of a community school in Vaghuhas, a village in Nagorno Karabakh’s
Martakert Region. The project is financed by benefactor Samvel
Aleksanyan, the government of Nagorno Karabakh, and a number of donors.

The planned two-story school will serve both Vaghuhas and the
neighboring Village of Khnkavan, accommodating 240 students.

"Since Vaghuhas was devastated during Artsakh’s war of liberation,
we’re very hopeful that this school will both boost local education
and mark a new beginning for the recovering community," said Ara
Vardanyan, the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s executive director.

For his part, Vaghuhas mayor Garegin Gharakhanyan described the school
project as a much-welcome and confidence-building initiative for the
some 700 residents of his community. He also expressed hope that the
momentum of infrastructure restoration will continue in Vaghuhas and
the village will soon regain its former vibrancy.

To date, the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund has implemented a slew
of critically urgent community-development projects throughout
Martakert. For instance, with support raised through the 2005 Telethon
and contributions by various donors, the fund has built schools in
the villages of Drmbon, Kochoghut, Verin Horatagh, and Mataghis,
and constructed a water main in Martakert and water pipelines in
Vaghuhas and Vank.

MIKHAIL SAAKASHVILI WRAPS UP THE VISIT TO ARMENIA
Alisa Gevorgyan

"Radiolur"
25.06.2009 17:33

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili wrapped up his two-day
official visit to Armenia at the invitation of Armenian President
Serzh Sargsyan.

Serzh Sargsyan and Mrs. Rita Sargsyan came to "Zvartnots" airport to
see off Mikhail Saakashvili and his spouse, Mrs. Sandra Roelofs.

On the last day of the visit the Georgian President visited
Tsitsernakaberd and the Yerevan State University.

Mikhail Saakashvili confessed during his meeting with the faculty
and students of the University that it was hard to call his visit
official, because Armenian-Georgian relations were far from being
official. He noted that the Armenian culture was an inseparable part
of the Georgian reality.

Mr. Saakashvili does not distinguish between Armenians, Greeks or
Azeri’s, all of them are Georgian citizens.

Mikhail Saakashvili specially emphasized the reforms under way
in Javakhk.

"This is the region where most of the investments have been made over
the recent years. The region is fully gasified; one of the largest
railways is being constructed there."

President Saakashvili also turned to the incident connected with
Armenian MP Shirak Torosyan (the Deputy was not allowed to cross the
Armenian Georgian order on June 19).

"I think that neither Armenians, nor Georgians encourage the steps
targeted at hindering the development of our relations. Such incidents
should be prevented. This has happened deriving from the interests
of both Georgia and Armenia.

"You declare that we are friendly countries, but Armenia pays twice
as much as Azerbaijan for cargo transportation," one of the students
noted.

In response to that the Georgian President stated: "One should accept
that Georgia gets nothing from transportation of Armenian goods. As for
Azerbaijan, the cargoes go to China and the larger Asian market through
Azerbaijani territory. Naturally, the volume is incomparably larger.

It’s clear that the larger the volume, the lower the customs. We should
simply tend to increase the volume of commodity turnover with Armenia."

Turning to issues of security and cooperation in the region, Mikahil
Saakashvili said the Caucasus should be united and it will take place
earlier than many expect.