Author: Kalantarian Kevo

Erdoðan and Sarkozy to Discuss Armenia-Turkey Rapprochement Next Week

12:45 * 03.04.10

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan will depart for a
three-day official visit to France on April 6.

According to Turkish new agency Cihan, while in France, Erdoðan will
meet with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Prime Minister François
Fillon.

Bilateral relations, the Middle East, Afghanistan, Iran and the fight
against terrorism are some of the issues that are planned to be
discussed during Erdoðan’s meetings with high-ranking French
officials.

A key issue to be discussed between Sarkozy and Erdoðan, according to
Cihan, is the latest developments in the Armenia-Turkey rapprochement
process.

Tert.am

ZURABYAN: THERE’LL BE WAR WHEN THE NEGOTIATING RESOURCES RUN LOW

Aysor
April 2 2010
Armenia

We can talk about the resumption of the Karabakh war when the
"resources" of current negotiations run low, Levon Zurabyan the
coordinator of the Armenian National Congress said on the Press
Conference.

According to the speaker there is no danger of war and the tension of
about that subject in Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh is artificially
motivated. He thinks that in the frameworks of the normalization of
the issue the Armenian side should be more careful.

"There is a document on the table around which they are sketching our
some processes on getting the agreement of both sides. Azerbaijan has
given its agreement already and these talks still go on. When that
"resource" runs out then we will talk about the real war," said the
ANC representative.

VIVACELL-MTS LAUNCHES ‘INTERNET ASSISTANT’ SELF CARE PORTAL FOR ITS SUBSCRIBERS

ArmInfo
2010-04-02 08:29:00

ArmInfo. VivaCell-MTS, a subsidiary of "Mobile TeleSystems" OJSC,
has introduced "Internet Assistant" self care portal (see under
‘Online Services’ rubric of the website), packed with a host of
helpful features and easy-to-manage interface.

The VivaCell-MTS press-service told ArmInfo that at the moment the
"Internet Assistant" portal allows VivaCell-MTS postpaid and prepaid
subscribers to get online detailed information about their accounts and
payments, recharge the card and make payments, control and manage the
services they use, activate and deactivate them, change the tariff
plan, forward calls, add or change phone numbers in the "My World"
list, convert the sum on the account into validity period, buy internet
packages, as well as send messages via "Online SMS" service.

The list of services provided through the portal will be expanded.

One of the important advantages of the portal is that VivaCell-MTS
subscribers can manage variety of VivaCell-MTS services, without
keeping in mind the service codes.

The portal gives an opportunity for instant access. To register
on the portal, the subscriber has just to send the word SMS to the
short number 111. After that the subscriber will receive a password
to access his/her account and use all the opportunities of the portal.

One SMS sent to the short number 111 costs AMD 20 (including VAT).

The subscribers, who have already registered with epay.vivacell.am
(Online billing), cabinet.vivacell.am, sms.vivacell.am (Online SMS)
websites, will be able to access the "Internet Assistant" self care
portal using their password to these sites.

"Our objective of introducing the "Internet Assistant" self care
portal is to develop an online customer service center, with 24/7
availability and simplicity of access to and management of services for
our voice and data customers. All our postpaid and prepaid customers
will benefit from "Internet Assistant". This self care portal saves
our customers time and keeps them in control of the consumption of
services," commented VivaCell-MTS General Manager Ralph Yirikian.

VivaCell-MTS (K-Telecom CJSC) is the leading Armenian mobile operator,
providing a wide range of Voice and Data services. Since its launch
on 1st July 2005, in a short period of time VivaCell-MTS has managed
to build a nationwide network and a considerable customer base.

VivaCell-MTS drives the development and offering of innovative mobile
communications products, services and features in the Armenian mobile
communications market.

IAN GILLAN RAISED 18,327 MILLION DRAM FOR GYUMRI MUSIC SCHOOL

Tert.am
16:02 ~U 31.03.10

Two joint concerts in Armenia by English rock music sensation Ian
Gillan and the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra have raised 18,327
million AMD (about $46,633,588 USD). This sum will be be used for the
construction of a new building for Gyumri’s No. 6 Music School which
is currently operating out of portables since the 1988 devastating
earthquake.

The two concerts, organized by local Armenian news agency Mediamax
and the initiative Do Something in the framework of Rock Aid
Armenia/Armenia Grateful 2 Rock, took place on March 26 and 27 in
Aram Khachaturian Concert Hall at the Yerevan Opera House.

The concerts were sponsored by VivaCell-MTS and the British Midland
Airways Limited (more commonly known as the British airline "bmi").

Also within the framework of Rock Aid Armenia/ Armenia Grateful 2
Rock, other activities are planed to be organized in 2010 and 2011
in order to raise more funds for the same music school.

ARTAK SHAKARYAN: ANKARA SEEKS TO KEEP ARMENIA-TURKEY PROCESS HALF ALIVE

PanARMENIAN.Net
31.03.2010 16:31 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Should Armenia-Turkey rapprochement process fail,
recommencing it will be possible in 5-6 years only, according to
expert Artak Shakaryan.

As he told a news conference in Yerevan, failure of the process will
deteriorate bilateral relations, making the situation even worse that
it was before the signing of Protocols.

Ankara will undertake further steps to drag out the dialogue, being
more interested in the process than in the result. "Ankara seeks to
keep the Armenia-Turkey process half alive. Still, ratifying at least
one of the protocols would be a smart move. Turkey could do so if
only to demonstrate its intention to continue the process," he said,
adding that, obviously, Turkey participates in rapprochement process
while under pressure.

"The outcome of the process mostly depends on the oncoming visit of
Armenian President to Washington in April, where he’ll participate
in global nuclear security summit," the expert noted.

At the same time, Mr. Shakaryan stated that the failure of
Armenia-Turkey reconciliation will not affect Turkey’s bid for EU
membership. "Ankara has too many problems for a closed Armenia-Turkey
border to affect its image," he said.

The Protocols aimed at normalization of bilateral ties and opening of
the border between Armenia and Turkey were signed in Zurich by Armenian
Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and his Turkish counterpart Ahmet
Davutoglu on October 10, 2009, after a series of diplomatic talks
held through Swiss mediation. On January 12, 2010, the Constitutional
Court of the Republic of Armenia found the protocols conformable to
the country’s Organic Law.

BLOCKING GENOCIDE BILL ‘CRITICAL’ FOR US-TURKEY TIES

Press TV
March 29 2010
Iran

Davutoglu has urged the US to stop the "genocide" resolution from
advancing to a full vote at the House of Representatives.

Turkey has urged the United States to block a bill branding the World
War I killing of Armenians as genocide, saying Washington’s stance
in this regard is "critical" for the two countries’ relations.

In a telephone conversation, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu asked US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Sunday to
stop the resolution from advancing to a full vote at the House of
Representatives.

Davutoglu said blocking the resolution would be "of critical importance
to eliminate the negative impact it has had" on Turkish-US relations
and on efforts aimed at bringing peace between Turkey and Armenia,
Foreign Ministry spokesman Burak Ozugergin said.

The genocide bill was approved by Foreign Affairs Committee of the
US House by a tiny margin in early March, drawing sharp criticism
from Turkey, which recalled its ambassador from Washington.

The non-binding resolution calls on President Barack Obama to ensure
that US foreign policy reflects an understanding of the genocide and
to label the mass killings of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire as
such in his annual statement on the issue.

Clinton has urged the committee not to hold the vote, citing fears that
the move might harm ties with Muslim majority Turkey — Washington’s
key ally in the Middle East — and Turkish-Armenian reconciliation.

The row has cast doubt on Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s
April visit to Washington for a nuclear security summit.

Yerevan accuses Turkey of killing up to 1.5 million Armenians in
orchestrated killings and deportations under the Ottoman Empire
in 1915-1917.

But Turkey puts the death toll at something between 300,000 to 500,000,
arguing that at least as many Turks died in what Ankara calls a civil
strife in the aftermath of Armenians’ siding with Russian troops
against their Ottoman rulers.

ARMENIA, RUSSIA ESTABLISH CLOSER SCIENTIFIC COOPERATION

news.am
March 29 2010
Armenia

March 24, the State Committee for Science, RA ministry of Education
and Science, and the Moscow Committee for Science and Technologies
signed an agreement facilitating cooperation between Armenian and
Russian research groups.

The agreement provides for contests for research and development
projects, exchange of information, implementation of joint scientific
projects, financing of approved projects, organization of conferences,
workshops, etc..

The agreement enables the sides to exchange scientific materials,
carry out scientific examinations of projects, with the leading
Armenian and Russian experts to be involved.

The agreement was signed by Chairman of the RA State Committee for
Science S. Harutyunyan and Chairman of the Moscow Committee for
Science and Technologies D. Rototayev.

Armenian and Greek American communities call on Rep. Michael McMahon
to return Turkish blood money

27.03.2010 11:03 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Members of the Armenian and Greek American
communities are planning a rally in front of the Ali Baba Terrace, 862
2nd Avenue, NYC on March 27, reported the Armenian National Committee
of New York (ANC-NY)

This will be the scene of a fundraiser organized by the Turkish
American community for the benefit of Representative Michael McMahon.
On March 4, 2010 Rep. McMahon, who serves on the House Foreign Affairs
Committee, voted against H. Res. 252, the Affirmation of the United
States Record on the Armenian Genocide Resolution. Although over 20
nations and 42 U.S. states, including New York, have officially
recognized the Genocide, the current Turkish government refuses to
accept this historical fact, has made it a crime to even discuss this
genocide in Turkey, and threatens other countries that speak about it.

The Greek American community, who are descendants of those also
victimized by the Ottoman Turks, are also concerned with Rep.
McMahon’s stance against the resolution and his failure to
meaningfully support efforts to remove Turkish military troops from
Cyprus.

Today, Azerbaijan
March 26 2010

Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry: "Talking about the hypothetical new
proposals on Karabakh has no meaning"

26 March 2010 [17:42] – Today.Az

"At the negotiating table on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict are the
proposals made by both sides of the OSCE Minsk Group – the so-called
updated Madrid document", said Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman
Azerbaijan Elkhan Polukhov, commenting on the statement of Armenian
President, which he made during his visit to Syria.

"Armenia is not ready to make unilateral concessions in the Karabakh
issue", – said the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan. According to
him, everything depends on the proposals of the Azerbaijani side.

"Armenia must clearly answer the question if it is ready to accept
these principles, to which Azerbaijan has already given a definite
answer – that with a few exceptions, updated Madrid principles are
acceptable to Azerbaijan", – said E. Polukhov.

"In this case, talking about any hypothetical new proposals does not
make sense" – he added.

/Day.Az/

URL:

World Markets Research Centre
Global Insight
March 25 2010

Top Armenian Bank to Extend US$10-mil. OFID Loan to Small Businesses

BYLINE: Lilit Gevorgyan

One of Armenia’s top banks, Ardshininvestbank and the Organisation of
Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Fund for International
Development (OFID) signed a US$19-million loan agreement yesterday at
the OFID headquarters in the Austrian capital Vienna. The loan is
extended for seven years to support Armenia small and medium
enterprises (SMEs). According to Nerses Karamanukyan, the Chairman of
the Management Board of Ardshininvestbank, the loan will provide a
much needed credit line for SMEs. He further stated that his bank is
planning to specialise more in this area and will try to expand its
co-operation with international financial institutions to attract more
loans. Suleiman Jasir Al-Herbish, General Manager of OFID, joined his
Armenian counterpart in highlighting the fund’s interest to co-operate
with Ardshininvestbank and thus help the SMEs sector. OFID was set up
in 1976 to provide assistance to the non -OPEC countries.

Significance:The OFID loan is set to bolster Ardshininvestbank’s
position in Armenia. The bank has been successful in expanding its
branches to 55 in the country and has also opened an office in Paris.
The OFID’s lending is certainly good news for Armenian SMEs, which
continue to suffer from one of the worst economic downturns that the
country has seen since its independence in 1991. Furthermore,
businesses are constrained by operational obstacles such as the
blockade imposed by two of its four neighbours, Azerbaijan and Turkey.
Rising taxes as well as widespread corruption impose further
difficulties. The Armenian banking system is relatively new and
lending to SMEs was not well practiced even when the Armenian economy
was seeing double-digit GDP growth. With the global economic crisis,
banks are even warier of lending. Against this background
Ardshininvestbank’s assurances that it will extend the loan to SMEs is
welcome news, although it will take some time to see if the bank
delivers on its pledges.