Author: Kanayan Tamar

‘PEACE PROCESS’ NOT A CHALLENGE TO LAUSANNE

Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Sept 24 2013

ISTANBUL – Hurriyet

Turkey’s ongoing peace process to resolve the decades-long Kurdish
issue would not challenge the Lausanne Treaty, Zafer Toprak, history
professor at Bogazici University has said.

“Turkey will protect its nation state identity at some point. This
includes the country’s borders too. However it is important to realize
that Turkey must enable internationally acknowledged norms of human
rights, individual freedoms for [Turkey’s citizens]. If Turkey gains
ground on this issue I do not sense a threat factor about national
borders,” Toprak, who is the founder and president of the Ataturk
Institute of the Bogazici University told daily Hurriyet when he was
asked if recognition of ethnic identities in Turkey regarding the
Kurdish issue would reach a point of challenging the Lausanne Treaty.

“Lausanne is not open to debate because at this point the whole
process [in the Middle East] proceeds independently from Lausanne. The
arguments are not linked to Lausanne, it’s mostly linked with people’s
ethnic identities,” he said.

The Treaty of Lausanne was a peace treaty signed in Lausanne,
Switzerland, on July 24, 1923, before the founding of the Turkish
Republic. It officially ended the state of war that had existed between
Turkey and the Western Alliance since the onset of World War I. The
treaty set the structure of Turkey’s minority laws accepting only Rums
(Anatolian Greeks), Jews and Armenians as ethnic minority groups.

September/24/2013

IS ARMENIA TURNING EAST?

ISN – International Relations & Security Network, Zurich
Sept 26 2013

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan at the European People’s Party
in Yerevan.

By Mikayel Zolyan for Foreign Policy Centre (FPC)

When on September 3rd 2013 Serzh Sargsyan, after meeting Russian
president Vladimir Putin in Moscow, announced that Armenia has asked to
join the Customs Union with Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, this came
as a surprise. It came as a surprise for both for Armenian public,
and for Armenia’s partners in the West, most of all for EU officials
responsible for the block’s eastern policy. The reason: Armenia
had already completed the negotiations regarding the Association
Agreement with EU (including DCFTA) and was supposed to pre-sign the
agreement in November. It has been made clear to Armenian authorities
that membership in the Customs Union would be incompatible with the
association process and especially with the DCFTA provisions.

Armenian authorities seemed to understand that point and continued to
claim their willingness to advance relations with Europe. As for the
Customs Union, Armenian officials of various levels repeated numerous
times that the country had no intention of joining, and moreover,
that this was impossible given absence of a common border between
Armenia and the countries of the Customs Union.

Thus, in spring 2012 Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan gave a
well-publicized interview to Russian daily ‘Kommersant’, in which he
stated unequivocally that Armenia is not interested in the Customs
Union since it does not have a common border with the members of the
block, though he conceded that Armenia might be interested in some
kind of a special partnership with that organization. This March in
a press conference televised by all major channels President Serzh
Sargsyan said that no one was expecting Armenia in the Customs Union
and dismissed any talk of the Russian pressure as unfounded. Finally,
only several days before Sargsyan’s visit to Moscow, in an interview
to the ArmNews channel the Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister ruled
out Armenia’s joining the Customs Union, adding that there is no
precedent of a country joining a customs union with countries that do
not share a common border. Moreover, many pro-government media outlets
and commentators had been engaged during recent months in a media
campaign praising Armenia’s rapprochement with the European Union.

However, all these statements seem to have been forgotten as after
Sargsyan’s return from Moscow as senior government figures started to
praise Armenia’s potential benefits from joining the Customs Union. To
make matters worse, some Armenian government figures attempted to
spin Sargsyan’s announcement by saying that Armenia will continue to
aim for the Association agreement, thus prompting unequivocal denial
from the EU side. After a series of statements of varying degrees of
clarity from several EU sources, came unusually direct statements,
which left little room for doubt. Thus, in apparent response to
Armenian officials’ statements, Sweden’s Foreign Minister Carl Bildt
said on September 9th that European Union has no plans to finalize
an Association Agreement with Armenia at an upcoming EU summit in
Lithuania, adding that ‘we work with Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia’.

EU officials also talked of the Russian pressure on Armenian
authorities. Many commentators tend to believe that the security
argument was used by Russia, who is Armenia’s main security partner
and the leading force in the Collective Security Treaty Organization
(CSTO), of which Armenia is a member. Armenia is locked in a
conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, so it is
particularly vulnerable to such pressures. However, given the internal
political situation in Armenia, there might have been other leverages,
which could have been used by Russia to influence Armenian government.

The current government is still struggling with the lack of democratic
legitimacy, which came as a result of the long history of disputed
elections and heavy-handed treatment of protesters. Particularly,
the events of March 1st2008, when 10 people were killed as the
government cracked down on post-election protests in Yerevan, are
still haunting Armenia’s internal politics. The latest presidential
election in 2013 did not help to mitigate the lack of legitimacy,
and probably even made the matters worse: though Serzh Sargsyan was
announced the winner, opposition leader Raffi Hovannisian refused
to accept the official results, and started a campaign of protests,
which however were smaller in scale than those in 2008 and gradually
died out after Sargsyan’s inauguration.

Sargsyan’s announcement probably also came as a surprise for Armenian
civil society. Numerous Armenian NGOs have been involved in various
projects connected with the European integration and the reforms that
were expected within its framework. The announcement made in Moscow
became a cause for worry since Armenian government commitment to the
Association Agreement was perceived as a certain guarantee that the
authoritarian tendencies, which already exist in the country would be
kept in check. Now, some NGO figures argue, the Armenian government
will be judged against the standards that exist in the countries of the
Customs Union (Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan) which can be described
as anything but democratic. In the days preceding the announcement
and immediately after it several attacks took place, aimed at civic
activists, who had participated in anti-government protests. These
attacks, carried out by unidentified men, still remain unsolved and
the victims claim that state authorities are to blame.

Whether it was a coincidence or not, many in the civil society
perceived these attacks as a sign that the Armenian government’s
authoritarian tendencies are getting stronger within the new
geopolitical context.

Against this background, fears that by joining the Customs Union
may mean creation of “a new USSR” and will lead to ceding a part
of Armenia’s sovereignty became quite visible in Armenia. Some
even feared that Armenia, which had acquired independence from
Russia only around 22 years ago, might be reduced to a status of a
client-state of Russia. Over a hundred activists protested Sargsyan’s
announcement September 4th in front of the President’s residence and
on September 5th outside of the ruling party headquarters. The scale
of the protests however remains relatively small, mostly confined to
politically active youth and civil society representatives. As for the
main political forces, they seem to be reluctant to spoil relations
with Russian authorities by opposing the union too harshly. Thus
the opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC/HAK) criticized the
government for squandering Armenia’s international credibility as a
result of its U-turn, but refrained from commenting on whether Customs
Union membership would beneficial for Armenia or not. Moreover, ANC
leader Ter-Petrosyan warned his party members against ‘resorting to
anti-Russianism’ in the criticism of the government. This careful
stance is shared by most other political forces represented in the
parliament. As for the larger public, the ‘Russian’ option still
remains quite popular among many Armenians, especially among the
middle aged and older citizens, who tend to have a nostalgia for the
Soviet times, and who do not seem to understand the intricacies of
European integration.

Mikayel Zolyan is historian and political analyst from Yerevan
(Armenia). Currently, he teaches at several universities in Yerevan
and works at Yerevan Press Club NGO in Yerevan.

SEE ARMENIA WITH THE PEOPLE WHO KNOW IT BEST!

TTG Middle East
September 24, 2013

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==============================We invite you to visit Armenia –
a country that offers a fascinating insight into the cultural and
historical interactions of West and East. To many Westerners the word
Armenia is evocative of the image of the land far away and long ago,
of Noah’s Ark and Biblical Mount Ararat, a very ancient civilization
and a cross road of commercial and military ties of East and West.
Armenia is often described as an outdoor museum. There are over 4000
historical monuments that have preserved here: cyclopean monuments,
pagan temples, ancient Christian churches and medieval monasteries
are scattered all around this beautiful land of mountain peaks and
fertile valleys, crystal-clear lakes and turbulent rivers.

All these natural characteristics have dictated the location of towns
and caravan routes as well as fortresses, bridges and aqueducts on
the Great Silk Road. Armenians are of Indo-European origin and their
statehood goes back to the powerful Urartu Kingdom of the 9th century
BC. Their present day alphabet that consists of 39 letters dates back
to 405 AD. The people of Armenia are very friendly and hospitable as
well as hard working and intelligent. Armenian cooking is exciting
and Armenian wines and brandies are legendary – Winston Churchill
drank Armenian brandy regularly!

You don’t have to be an Armenian to be thrilled by the sight of Mount
Ararat, sitting alone on the plains like an exiled monarch just outside
the border. It is a sight to remember forever!The Republic of Armenia
is situated in the southern part of the Caucasus between watersheds
of middle streams of the Araks and Kura Rivers.The territory of the
Republic is 29,800 sq. km. It occupies the southern part of a vast
highland area known as Armenian Upland, which is located within
the Alpine-Himalayan mountain system. The average elevation of the
Armenian Upland is 1,800 meters above sea level.

Ancient geographers called the Armenian Upland the Roof of Asia
Minor.In the structure of mountain ridges extinct volcanoes
play an essential role. Their activity left its mark on Armenian
nature.Biblical Mount Ararat dominates the Armenian Upland. It is
isolated from the ridges and plateaus and rises above the surrounding
plains for more than 4 kilometres. The massif consists of two extinct
volcanoes – Greater Ararat (Masis), having a height of 5,165 meters,
and Little or Lesser Ararat (Sis), at 3925 meters. Their peaks are
located at a distance of 10 kilometers from each other.Ararat is
amazingly beautiful. It has attracted travellers since ancient times.

The most wonderful view of Mount Ararat is from the northern vicinity
of Yerevan – the capital of the Republic of Armenia. The Armenian
landscape is very picturesque and rich in numerous cultural monuments,
such as rock drawings, cave towns, excavations of ancient cities and
Palaeolithic settlements, remnants of the most ancient observatories
and metallurgical centres, creations of old and Medieval Armenian
masters (temples, cloisters and fortresses) and modern architectural
ensembles.Armenia is one of those rare countries that, though small
in territory, is notable for its complexity and rich diversity of its
geological structures.The people and races that have populated the
Armenian highland whose origin stretches into the unknown millennia of
prehistory have provided the human substance for its culture. Being
on the crossroad of Asia and Europe the country served as a bridge
joining both geographically as well as culturally Iran and Indo-China
with European civilization – Armenia synthesized the best traditions
of Arts, music and architecture of its neighbors and gave them a new
interpretation.Adoption of Christianity as State religion later in
301 as well as the invention of the Armenian alphabet in 405 gave
new stimuli to development of unique cultural traditions here. The
oldest parchment manuscript dates back to early 5th c. The majority
of manuscripts are research works of ancient scholars on astrology,
alchemy, geography, history, medicine, poetry and musical arts.Armenia
has over 4,000 historical monuments, which cover various periods of the
countrys development from prehistoric to Hellenistic era, from early
to medieval Christian era. The stone carved crosses and cathedrals
may recall the European Renaissance.Comparisons and discoveries are
a continual delight throughout the arts in this magical country.See
Armenia with the people who know it best!

TEACHER ON TRIAL FOR MANSLAUGHTER AFTER PUPIL ‘HANGED HIMSELF IN CORRIDOR’

The Times, UK
September 24, 2013 Tuesday 5:08 PM GMT

by Adam Sage, Paris

An 11-year-old boy hanged himself on a coat hook after being ordered
out of his classroom and left for 45 minutes in a primary school
corridor, a French court was told today.

Agnès Maulard-Lelong, 42, his teacher, denied charges of manslaughter
and endangering life as she went on trial over the death of Khoren
Grimaldi.

However, she told Tarascon Criminal Court in the South of France that
she felt “morally responsible” for what had happened in May 2011.

The court was told that Mrs Maulard-Lelong, a teacher in the Anne Frank
school in Arles, Provence, had told the boy to leave the classroom
when he refused to do a grammar exercise.

“In class, pupils work,” she said, according to evidence given
in court.

“You don’t want to work so go in the corridor with the coats, which
don’t work.”

Three quarters of an hour later, the boy was found unconscious, hanging
from a coat hook by his T-shirt, the court was told. School staff
were unable to revive him and he died in hospital three days later.

Laure Grimaldi, Khoren’s mother, said that her son had taken the
teacher at her word as a joke in an attempt to “wriggle out of the
punishment”.

However, she said that Mrs Maulard-Lelong had failed in her duty to
keep an eye on Khoren – a name of Armenian origin that means Little
Sun – while he was in the corridor.

Mrs Grimaldi and Nicolas, her husband, brought a private prosecution
to prevent such an event from happening again, their lawyer, Maître
Louis Sayn-Urpar, told the court.

He said: “Mrs Maulard-Lelong could not see Khoren and that is what
made the accident possible.”

Mr Sayn-Urpar said that when other teachers in the school ordered
pupils out of the classroom, they told them to sit opposite the door
to remain visible.

“If Mrs Maulard-Lelong had acted in the same way, Khoren would be
with us today,” he said.

The court was also told that school regulations allowed teachers to
inflict a “momentary period of isolation” on turbulent pupils.

Mr Sayn-Urpar said that the 45 minutes Khoren spent in the corridor
were “unusually long” and “do not correspond to the regulations.” The
court was told that Khoren had asked to be let back into the classroom
after half an hour. Mrs Maulard-Lelong had told him: “I don’t want
to see you any more.”

The teacher denied that Khoren had been left on his own, saying:
“Pupils went out to talk to him.” She said she had kept her job
in the school and had the support of her colleagues and the local
education authority.

Vincent Mick, the prosecutor, called for Mrs Maulard-Lelong to be
found not guilty, saying there was no case to answer.

She had committed a professional mistake, but not a crime in the eyes
of the law, he said.

The teacher faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a
five of (EURO)75,000 (£63,000) if found guilty.

The court will deliver its judgment on October 29.

SAAKASHVILI’S UN SPEECH WAS POLITICAL MISTAKE – OPINIONS

21:16 26.09.13

The Georgian president’s remarks on the Armenian-Azerbaijani tension
over Nagorno-Karabakh are not his first attempt to interfere in the
domestic affairs of Armenia, a political analyst has said, commenting
on Mikheil Saakahvili’s recent speech at the UN General Assembly.

“That’s, first of all, none of his business. Besides, there have never
been normal comments by Saakashvili. He has the right to deliver a
speech, but he is supposed to address the problems in Georgia instead
of bringing examples from other countries. I consider this a political
and human mistake,” Levon Melik-Shahnazaryan told Tert.am.

The expert said the Armenian Foreign Ministry has to give a mild
rebuke to Saakashvili, who has several times before tried to resolve
the problems in his country by citing Armenia as an example.

“Deprived of power at home, he tries to create a worldwide image of
a geopolitical figure or at least – a Transcaucasian leader,” he said.

In his speech at the General Assembly’s 68th ssession, Saakashvili
slammed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Eurasian Union plan,
considering it an attempt ‘to reclaim bygone borders’.

“Armenia has been cornered, and forced to sign on to the Customs
Union which is not in this nation’s interest or in the interest of our
region, Moldova is being blockaded, Ukraine is under attack, Azerbaijan
faces extraordinary pressure, and Georgia is occupied…Why? Because
an old Empire is trying to reclaim its bygone borders. And ‘borders’
is actually not the right word, since this Empire – be it the Russian
Empire, the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation, or the Eurasian
Union – never had borders. It only had margins. I came today to speak
in the name of these margined,” said the Georgian leader.

The Armenian expert disagreed to Saakashvili’s remark that Russia has
cornered Armenia. According to him, the real situation demonstrates
the contrary process.

“In the process launched since September 3 [when President Serzh
Sargsyan made the landmark statement about the Customs Union
membership], Armenia is in the role of an equal partner, if not the
dictating side. But it is possible to agree, to a certain extent,
to the opinion that Russia will not let Armenia celebrate a decisive
victory over Azerbaijan, or vice versa,” Melik-Shahnazaryan noted.

“Our tense relations with Azerbaijan are somewhat convenient to third
states because without peace in the region, different geopolitical
forces are given the chance of getting involved in the ongoing
political processes.”

The political analyst Manvel Sargsyan also agreed to the remark.

“Conflicts aim to create levers of influence,” he told our
correspondent.

As for Saakashvili’s speech, he said it wasn’t absolutely surprising
given that a number of countries seek very often to attribute the
problems in and around Europe to Russia.

“This is a concept which is quite widespread. What we see in Russia
is the opposite concept: they link all their grieves and concerns to
Europe and the West. This concept is pursued by different countriies.

The situation around the world is much more complicated, as a matter
of fact as there are bigger problems which are never discussed.”

Sargsyan said it is very primitive to agree to Saakashvili’s remark
that “an old Empire is trying to reclaim its bygone borders”. As for
Armenia, he said the country has to have concepts of its own not to be
“driven to a corner”.

“If it does not have a definite position and tries to gain advantages
from different international hustles and bustles, it will be driven
to one corner today and another tomorrow. Have the problems facing
the country ever been raised in Armenia to make a decision-making
possible? There is absolutely nothing of the kind; this is why they
all the time look here and there, making the decision that matches
the authorities’ interests at the given moment,” said the expert.

Armenian News – Tert.am

CANADIAN MP SAYS BAKU’S “BLACK LIST” ILLOGICAL

21:25 26.09.2013

Armine Gevorgyan
Public Radio of Armenia

Member of the Canadian Parliament Stephane Dion has arrived in Armenia
for a working visit at the initiative of the Armenian National
Committee of Canada, the Armenian Embassy in Canada and the NKR
Permanent Representation in the US.

The Canadian MP visited Artsakh, where he had meetings with President
Bako Sahakyan and Parliament Speaker Ashot Ghulyan. Also, he visited
Lachin to familiarize himself with the living conditions of Syrian
Armenians, who have settled there.

Stephane Dion’s visit to Artsakh has angered the Azerbaijani Embassy in
Canada. The MP says, however, Azerbaijan’s policy of “blacklisting”
foreign citizens visiting Artsakh is absurd. “Before arriving in
Armenia, I knew about the Armenian-Azerbaijani issue, but I was
not aware of Azerbaijan’s “black list,” which I think is something
illogical. I have explained to everyone that my objective was to meet
Syrian Armenian refugees. When I say the “black list” is illogical,
I mean that it’s illogical to separate the population of a certain
area from the rest of mankind,” he said.

Speaking about the Karabakh issue, the Canadian MP said it should be
solved within the framework of the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group
Co-Chairs. “During my meetings with the people and authorities of
Artsakh I understood that they are strong people and are proponents
of peace,” he added.

Having met with Syrian Armenians, Stephane Dion says their living
conditions are not that good. “I’m not authorized to assess the
policy of the Armenian Government, but one thing is clear – Syrian
Armenians face great difficulties, they are short of money and have
no proper housing. Many of them are not going to return, aware that
the situation in their country will not be solved soon.”

The MP said the Canadian Armenian community is one of the most
organized and successful ones. “Armenians are rather successful. They
speak Armenian, English, French and are integrated into the life of
the country. At the same time, they maintain their cultural roots. To
some extent Canada is obliged to help Armenia,” Mr. Dion said, adding
that the opening of the Canadian Embassy in Armenia will promote the
further deepening of Armenian-Canadian relations.

PRESIDENT SERZH SARGSYAN’S WORKING VISIT TO SYUNIK MARZ

18:33 26.09.2013

President Serzh Sargsyan, who is in Syunik on a working visit, in the
framework of his visit familiarized with works of small and medium
enterprises which are carrying out their development programs side by
side with Syunik’s major mining and energy companies, looked into the
investment projects, and prospects of development. In particular,
the President visited Aval Trade knitting enterprise in Sisian,
which was established in December 2012 and since April 2013 has been
manufacturing knitting production. The President was informed that
in four months of this year, the company has made an investment of
30.0 million AMD, including the import of modern machinery.

The enterprise employs 90 people with the average monthly salary
of 70-80 thousand drams. As of April-August 2013, according to the
management the company manufactured nearly 70.7 million dram worth
production which was sold in the Russian Federation. The company
is planning to expand its export market by increasing production
capacities which will allow to employ 120 people.

In Goris, the President visited Goris Gamma enterprise which together
with Zangezur copper and molybdenum factory currently is executing a
new program of manufacturing new machinery in full compliance with
international standards. Representatives of the company noted that
they have concluded negotiations with the German supplier and now
are negotiating with potential customers to specify the demand and
assortment volumes. It was noted that if the program is successful,
Armenia will be manufacturing digital, high accuracy turning and
milling machines which comply with the European standards. At the
initial stage of the program, investments reached one million US
dollars; if there is proper demand, along with the increase of the
production capacities, the number of jobs will reach 130.

Goris Gamma enterprise was founded back in 1979 and was specializing in
the production of special machinery for the military industrial complex
of the Ministry of Defense of former USSR. In 1996, the enterprise
was restructured becoming a closed venture; 20 percent of its state
shares were given without indemnity to the employees and 80 percent
were privatized in 2001. Currently the enterprise has mechanical,
special machinery assembling, electromotor assembling, and optical
production units as well as an experimental laboratory. The production
of the company is being sold primarily in the Russian Federation and,
according to the management there are also sales orders from Canada. In
January-August, 2013 the company manufactured 238.0 million dram worth
production which is a 23% increase compared to the same period last
year. It was noted that along with the batch production, the Company
also receives sales orders from the Zangezur copper and molybdenum
factory such as manufacturing of tools and machinery.

In the framework of his visit, President Serzh Sargsyan visited also
Qajaran town. First, he visited the monument dedicated to the fallen
heroes, laid flowers and paid tribute to the memory of the sons of
the Armenian nation who died for our Motherland.

Later, at the central square of Qajaran, the President participated
in the events dedicated to the 55th anniversary of the town and in
the framework of the event handed awards and letters of commendation
to a group of individuals who were distinguished for their patriotic
work in different areas: Hrachia Tadevossian, Head of Division in the
Qajaran Medical Center, Ltd. outpatient clinic by the Presidential
decree was awarded the Mkhitar Heratsi Medal; Mikhail Aroustamian,
Executive Director of the Rivs scientific and production enterprise
(RF) was awarded the Anania Shirakatsi medal. Saro Hayrapetian, Chief
Architect of the Qajaran community communal services Ltd. and Zakhar
Mirzoyan, electric welder of the Ore Reduction and Transportation unit
of the Qajaran copper and molybdenum factory for their years-long
and diligent work received Presidential letters of commendation. In
Qajaran, by the decision of the Council of Elders, the President was
handed the first Battle of Artsakh commemorative medal.

President Sargsyan congratulated all those persent on the occasion of
the town’s holiday and on receiving awards, thanked the inhabitants
of Qajaran for their daily efforts aimed at the development of their
town and their dedication, wished all the best and assured that
Qajaran and other settlements in our country every year will become
more comfortable and developed. The President of Armenia urged the
participants of the festivities to look at the future of their town
and our country with optimism and faith.

At the conclusion of the festivities, Serzh Sargsyan attended the
opening ceremony of the monument dedicated to the former director of
many years of the Qajaran copper and molybdenum factory, a skillful
organizer of the mining production Frunze Petrossian.

The President continues his visit to Syunik marz. Today, he will also
participate at the opening of Qajaran’s medical center. In Kapan, Serzh
Sargsyan will visit the Garegin Nzhdeh Square and will familiarize
with the program of its modernization; in Kapan’s high-school n. 2 he
will observe construction works conducted here. In Syunik community
of the marz, the President of Armenia will visit the small cattle
slaughter house and new processing unit.

FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS DISCUSS INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN ARMENIA

By MassisPost
Updated: September 25, 2013

YEREVAN – On September 25, the USAID-funded Enterprise Development and
Market Competitiveness (EDMC) Project and Small Enterprise Assistance
Funds (SEAF) Armenia launched a conference entitled “Easing Access to
Affordable Capital for Competitive Private Businesses.” The conference
focused on private equity finance and investment opportunities
in Armenia, bringing together representatives of international
investment institutions and the Armenian business community to discuss
opportunities and obstacles of investing into the Armenian economy.

Board Member of the Central Bank of Armenia Armenak Darbinyan, USAID
Armenia Economic Growth Office Director Naren Chanmugam, and SEAF
Executive Chairman and Co-Founder Hubertus van der Vaart delivered
remarks, encouraging businesses to take advantage of the conference to
learn more about equity finance and application procedures. Conference
participants included representatives of major financial institutions
in Armenia, consulting companies, and small and medium enterprises.

At the conference senior representatives of EBRD Armenia, IFC Armenia,
and Ameriabank Investment Banking talked about existing investments
and financing in Armenia, as well as discussed new investment
opportunities in the area. Participants heard from SEAF Caucasus
Growth Fund, which has invested in SMEs in Armenia, Georgia, and
Azerbaijan since 2012, and from Grant Thornton, which has conducted
the “Establishing a Private Equity Fund in Armenia” feasibility study,
through EDMC support. Private companies and investors also presented
real-life examples and success stories during the event.

The conference enabled key players in the field of equity finance to
coordinate efforts and facilitated a dialogue between companies and
financial institutions to help raise awareness about equity finance
and spur future investments.

RECORD NUMBER OF ARMENIAN CITIZENS TRAVEL TO TURKEY IN AUGUST

September 26, 2013 | 00:04

ANKARA. – A total of 48,832 citizens of Armenia headed to Turkey from
January to August 2013.

The number of Armenian citizens that visited Turkey from January to
August grew by 4.8 percent, or by 1,234 people, as compared to the
same time period in the year past, Armenian News-NEWS.amascertained
from the Culture and Tourism Ministry of Turkey.

A total of 12,711 citizens of Armenia traveled to Turkey in August
alone, which is 8.33-percent more than the same time period last year,
and also a record in terms of the number of Armenians that headed to
Turkey in one month.

A total of 11,734 citizens of Armenia had visited Turkey in August
2012.

To note, 70,956 Armenian citizens had headed to Turkey in 2012.

ARMENIA’S PRESIDENT NOMINATES GEVORG KOSTANYAN FOR POST OF PROSECUTOR GENERAL

13:50, 26 September, 2013

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS. The issue of appointing the
incumbent Military Prosecutor of the Republic of Armenia Gevorg
Kostanyan on the position of Prosecutor General of the Republic of
Armenia will be included in the agenda of the four-day session of
the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, which is scheduled
to launch on September 30. The Head of the Information and Public
Relations Department of the National Assembly of the Republic
of Armenia Gohar Poghosyan stated this in a conversation with
“Armenpress”.

Former prosecutor general Aghvan Hovsepian resigned on September
13 of the current year. In accordance with the article 103 of the
Constitution of Armenia, the candidacy for prosecutor general is
recommended by the president and approved by the National Assembly for
a six year term. One and the same person can not serve as prosecutor
general for more than two consecutive terms.

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