Author: Jalatian Sonya

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Feb 18 2008

Armenia has required resources for setting up an international
healthcare center

YEREVAN, February 18. /ARKA/. Armenia has all the required resources
for setting up an international healthcare center, Armenia’s Minister
of Trade and Economic Development Nerses Yeritsian in making a speech
during the international economic forum `Bridge 2008′ in Tsakhkadzor.

Yeritsian reminded that the Government set an objective to establish
such a center. The Minister pressed the importance of the discussions
on the future of science and technologies, medical and
biotechnologies in particular, held recently under the World Economic
Forum in Davos.

Particularly, the Minister said that information about research has
been provided saying that people live longer, but healthcare
expenditures are growing and people are ready to spend them on
obtaining cheap but high-quality medical services.

This means that Armenia has all the resources to set up an
international center of healthcare, bearing in mind the existing
physics institute with serious applications in the sphere of
measurements and instrument-making industry, as well as certain
abilities in providing high-quality services in the field of tourism,
Yeritsian said. The initiative should not be limited within two or
three hospitals, he said.

`This should become a common policy of the country, and Armenia can
become competitive in the niche of high-technology medical services,’
the Minister said.

The fifth International economic forum `Bridge 2008′ is held in
Tsakhkadzor on February 15-18. -0–

ARMENIAN ELECTION: FORMER PRESIDENT URGES PREMIER TO WITHDRAW FROM RACE

ArmInfo
Feb 16 2008
Armenia

Former Armenian President Levon Ter-Petrosyan, who hopes to regain
the post in the 19 February vote, has called on Prime Minister
Serzh Sargsyan to withdraw from the race to preserve the country’s
"international reputation", Arminfo news agency has reported.

Addressing a mass rally in the capital Yerevan on 16 February,
Ter-Petrosyan said it was the last chance for Sargsyan and the outgoing
president, Robert Kocharyan, to leave with "dignity".

"If Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan had had some conscience,
they would have left the country immediately in view of today’s
unprecedented rally and the all-national celebration," Arminfo quoted
the former president as saying. "This is their last chance to go
with dignity, without subjecting Armenia’s international reputation
to a threat."

Arminfo said some 50,000 people attended the rally.

Ter-Petrosyan warned the authorities against falsifying the election,
saying that a rally planned by his supporters in Yerevan on 20 February
would turn into an open-ended demonstration if the election was rigged.

In a separate address to the nation, carried by Arminfo on 16
February, Ter-Petrosyan urged Armenians to prevent vote-rigging by
a high turnout.

"If you are proactive, we will be able to accomplish what we failed
to do in 1998 and 2003 [presidential elections won by Kocharyan].

This time we will definitely win," Ter-Petrosyan said. "19 February
will mark the victory on the anti-people regime… The bandit state
has already lost, and the people has won."

ARONYAN AMONG FAVORITES

A1+
14 February, 2008

"Morelia – Linares" chess championship is to be launched tomorrow. The
Armenian grand master Levon Aronyan will participate in the
championship for the third time. Levon won in this championship
in 2006.

Aronyan is to compete with Vishvanatan Anand, Vasili Ivanchuk, Veselin
Topalov, Peter Lekon, Temur Rajabov, Aleksey Shirov and Magnus Marlens
during the championship. All the mention chess men participated in
"Korus Chess- 2008" championship in Veyk-an-Zee, Holland in January,
which ended with Aronyan’s victory. As compared "Korus Chess – 2008",
in "Morelia – Linares" the chess men will have to compete in two
rounds. The first round will take place on 15-23 February in Morelia,
Mexico and the second round will take place on 28 February – 7 March
in Linares, Spain.

International bookmakers consider Anand the favorite of the
championship, then Aronyan and Kramnik.

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Feb 14 2008

No incident in monitoring on frontline of Azerbaijani and Armenian
troops

[ 14 Feb 2008 16:09 ]

Goranboy Mahbuba Gasimbayli-APA. The monitoring was conducted on the
frontline of troops near the village of Tapgaragoyunlu village of
Goranboy region under the mandate of OSCE Chairman-in-Office Personal
Representative today. Field assistants of personal representative of
OSCE Chairman-in-office Imre Palatinus, Jaslan Nurtazin and Anjey
Kasprzyk, personal representative of OSCE Chairman-in-office will
participate in the monitoring from Azerbaijani side. The monitoring
in the opposite side of the contact line recognized as territory of
Azerbaijan on international level will be held by field assistants of
personal representative of OSCE Chairman-in-office and Miroslav
Vimetal and Antal Herdich .
Defence Ministry press service told the APA that no incident was
reported during the monitoring.

Earthtimes, UK
Feb 14 2008

Four hospitalized after plane crashes on takeoff in Armenia
Posted : Thu, 14 Feb 2008 06:49:06 GMT
Author : DPA

Travel General News | Home

Moscow – A Belarusan passenger plane caught fire Thursday on takeoff
from the Armenian capital of Yerevan, sending four people to
hospital. The Canadian-built CRJ-100 plane belonging to the Belavia
airline overshot the runway, tipped onto one of its wings, broke in
two and caught fire, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported.

Belorusan Transport Minister Xenia Perestoronina said the 21 people
on board were lucky to be alive.

Most of the injured were treated on the airport’s field, but four
passengers were taken to hospital.

The cause of the accident involving the Minsk-bound flight was not
immediately known.

TOM LANTOS: 1928-2008

Stockton Record
cle?AID=/20080213/A_OPINION01/802130312/-1/A_OPINI ON06
Feb 13 2008
CA

Tom Lantos, the conscience of Congress, can only echo now.

But what noble reverberations.

The only Holocaust survivor to become a member of the House of
Representatives, the San Mateo Democrat died of cancer at 80 on Monday.

His life was a monument to courage, righteous indignation and defending
the oppressed. His three-decade political career reached its apex
in January 2007, when Lantos became chairman of the House Foreign
Affairs Committee.

The 14-term congressman was a determined protector of human rights
with unwavering principles.

He was a staunch defender of Israel, a vocal critic of totalitarian
regimes, a supporter of the U.S. invasion of Iraq and founder in 1983
of the bipartisan Congressional Human Rights Caucus.

Born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1928, Lantos was 16 when the Nazis
occupied his country and sent him to a labor camp. Twice he escaped,
the second time reaching the protection of Raoul Wallenberg, the
Swedish diplomat who saved thousands of Jews in World War II.

After the war, most of his family killed at Auschwitz, Lantos
reunited with childhood friend Annette Tilleman, who had escaped to
Switzerland. They married and moved to the United States, where Lantos
earned a doctorate in economics from the University of California,
Berkeley. He taught for 30 years at San Francisco State University.

Lantos, first elected to the House in 1980, made the most of his one
year as House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman.

Members of the committee demanded Japanese officials apologize
for wartime sex slavery by their military. In a principled but
controversial move, committee members declared Turkey’s mass killing
of Armenians during World War I an act of genocide.

No government was too powerful and no issue too delicate for Lantos,
who frequently criticized Chinese leaders for human rights abuses. He
was arrested in 2006 outside the Sudanese Embassy in Washington,
D.C., protesting the mass killings in Darfur.

Lantos’ legacy emboldens us never to ignore suffering, always to speak
up for the nameless and oppressed and to consistently confront evil
and tyranny.

SASHA AFIAN APPOINTED DEPUTY CHIEF OF RA POLICE

Noyan Tapan
Feb 12, 2008

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 12, NOYAN TAPAN. Sasha Afian has been appointed
Deputy Chief of the Police under the RA Government by the February
12 decree of Robert Kocharian, the President of the Republic of
Armenia. This information was provided to Noyan Tapan by the RA
President’s Press Office.

ON FEBRUARY 19 AND 20 CELEBRATIONS IN STEPANAKERT WILL BE BROADCAST LIVE ON THE PUBLIC TELEVISION OF ARMENIA

KarabakhOpen
12-02-2008 11:25:43

On February 19 and 20 the celebration of the 20th anniversary of
the movement of Artsakh in Stepanakert will be broadcast live on the
Public Television of Armenia. It will overlap with the presidential
election in Armenia but never mind.

We have learned that till February 19 the activists of the movement
will meet with students at the schools of Karabakh.

In the evening of February 19 a solemn meeting will be held. On
February 20 there will be an immense rally at the central square
of Stepanakert which will be concluded with the speech of the
president. Afterwards the participants of the rally will go to the
Memorial. On the same day the president will meet with the participants
of the historic session of the Soviet of People’s Deputies of the
Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region on February 20, 1988.

Celebration will continue through the year. In May an international
conference will be held. In July and August a gathering of youth will
be organized in Stepanakert. In fall the celebrations will continue
in Yerevan.

ARTUR BAGHDASARIAN STATED THAT "MY VICTORY DURING THE ELECTIONS WILL LEAD TO THE START OF AN ABSOLUTELY NEW DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE AUTHORITIES AND NGOS"

Mediamax
February 11, 2008

Yerevan /Mediamax/. Armenian presidential candidate, Leader of
"Orinats Yerkir" Party Artur Baghdasarian stated in Yerevan today
that "my victory during the elections will lead to the start of an
absolutely new dialogue between the authorities and NGOs".

Mediamax reports that, speaking at a meeting with the representatives
of public organizations today, Artur Baghdasarian noted that at present
the authorities do not pay attention to a number of serious problems,
which are raised by the representatives of the non-governmental sector.

The candidate noted that all the Ministries and Department of Armenia
should closely cooperate with NGOs for exchange of information and
for joint decision-making. Artur Baghdasarian also stated that the
public organizations have the right to count on the financial support
of the state.

UITE PROPOSES HOLDING "DIGITECH 2008" EXHIBITION AND "ARMTECH 2008"
CONGRESS AT SAME TIME

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 7, NOYAN TAPAN. The Union of Information Technology
Enterprises of Armenia (UITE) has offered Tony Moroyan – the organizer
of Armtech congress, chairman of Viasphere International company
operating in Silicon Valley, founder of Viasphere Technopark in Armenia
– to hold Armtech 2008 congress and Digitech 2008 exhibition in Armenia
at the same time. The UITE executive director Karen Vardanian announced
this at the congress of the UITE held on February 6. It is envisaged to
hold Digitech (organized traditionally by the UITE jointly with other
co-organizers) on October 3-5, while all-Armenian Armtech congress – in
September.

In the words of K. Vardanian, it is planned that UITE will hold
DigiTech E-Executive exhibition-forum on June 13-14. The event will be
dedicated to use of information technologies in business and is
envisaged for corporate users only. Prior to the exhibition, the UITE
will conduct a study on Armenian companies’ demand for IT solutions.
Besides, E-gov conference on problems related to formation of
information society in Armenia will take place in Yerevan on November
28-30.

K. Vardanian said that starting from this year, the union envisages to
give awards to organizations and persons who have achieved success in
various fields of information and communication sphere.

It was mentioned that the UITE will organize the participation of 10
information and communication companies in GeBit exhibition in Hanover
(Germany) on March 4-9. State budgetary resources have been provided
for rental of the Armenian pavilion at the exhibition. Besides, with
the assistance of the union, Armenia will be presented at WCIT in Kuala
Lumpur on May 19-22. An official delegation of Armenian will also take
part in this congress.

According to K. Vardanian, a new portal of the UITE will operate in a
month. It will become "the gate of Armenian IT industry" and open new
opportunities for cooperation.

During the UITE congress, the executive director of Sorsio company
Hovhannes Avoyan was reelected the UITE chairman. The executive
director of UITE will be appointed at the upcoming sitting of the union
board.