Author: Khondkarian Raffi

RA CB IS READY TO MAKE FIRST SERIOUS STEPS TO TRANSFER TO BASEL II PRINCIPLES STARTING JANUARY, 2008

ArmInfo
2007-06-26 10:37:00

Transfer of RA banking system to the principles of Basel II changes
a number of accents on the banking control, Head of RA Central Bank
Tigran Sargsyan said today. First, he said, the banks will be able to
better manage the risks without permanent control of a supervisory
agency. Second, the market and market discipline will contribute a
more sufficient mite to regulation and supervision of the banks.

He said that starting January, 2008, a new standard of the capital
adequacy will be established that will meet the standards of Basel
II. In view of this, the standards of reservation are tempered for
possible losses on the risks of the weighed assets, in particular,
50% instead of 100% will be set on hypothec credits, 75% instead of
100% – on retail credits, 0% instead of 10% – on state bonds, 50%
instead of 100% – on correspondent accounts. The calculations have
shown that that the actual value of the capital adequacy standard
will reduce to 3,3% on average, that will allow the country’s banking
system to find additional 25 bln drams of financial resources which
may be purposed to credit the economy. In the area of standards,
the most sufficient tampering, that has already come into force, is
removal of a standard per the currency position, as well as reduction
of the requirement per the current liquidity from 80% to 60%. Change
of the standard of the total liquidity is presently discussed, where
the matter concerns its tampering or complete removal. One step more
has been made within the frames of Basel II philosophy, the penalty
provisions to the banks are henceforth applicable only in case of
serious and significant violations.

For Basel II implementation, it is important to form a statistical
database in the banks, that will be possible by means of the private
credit bureau of ACRA.

T. Sargsyan said that serious changes have been observed over the
last years I relation to dramization of the economy and the banking
system. Thus, the level of dramization in 2006 deepened by 10%, the
assets of the commercial banks are expressed in drams by more than
50%. T. Sargsyan hopes that the most part of the attracted means will
also be expressed in drams in 2007.

For growth of the dram circulation, the banks will have to increase
the number of cash machines and POS-terminals.

The pension reformation together with the social reforms will find
600-700 bln drams of savings which may be aimed at development of
the financial market.

"THAT WAS A MURDER"

A1+
[07:03 pm] 26 June, 2007

"Levon Gulyan was murdered in the police station", announced Mikael
Danielyan, the Chairman of the Helsinki Association. He stated that
although our authorities signed the document, but nothing was done
to prevent violations and their number was increasing.

Jemma Gulyan, widow of Levon Gulyan, noted that human rights were
violated, a person was murdered and they did not know who was to
account for that and no one was to blame for that. The Prosecutor’s
Office promised to carry out transparent investigation, however
nothing was done.

Ruben Martirosyan, expert of the Helsinki Association, said that
the photos of Gulyan’s corpse prove that he was tortured and then
only thrown out of the window "since they understood that he was
already dead".

He has not seen such tortured body before and 20 minutes before the
incident Gulyan got serious traumas, hemorrhages on his body prove
that. An official investigation was implemented. According to it,
at 15.20 he tried to escape, however, a call was received in the
Prosecutor’s Office that at 14.30 Gulyan was already dead.

The widow of Levon Gulyan mentioned that they did not have the
translation of international experts’ opinion and they would be
released after the translation.

According to her, the experts were not impartial. They were provided
only the observations of the Prosecutor’s Office.

HIGH COMMISSIONER HELPS FILL THE INFORMATION GAP FOR MINORITIES IN GEORGIA
Written by Sandro Gagua, Mikhail Vardzelashvili and Pavlo Byalyk

Abkhazia, CA

khazia.com/content/view/220/83/
June 25 2007

At 8:00 a.m. every morning, Parvana TV Director Kostya Vartanian
arrives at his studio in Georgia’s Javakheti region, a predominantly
ethnic Armenian area. With OSCE support, the station is now
broadcasting daily TV programmes in Armenian, as well as translating
news from across the country.

Ethnic tensions have long been a challenge to stability in Javakheti,
where 95 per cent of residents have little or no knowledge of
Georgian, the state language, and found themselves in an information
vacuum. Receiving news mainly from Russian and Armenian channels,
they were better informed about events outside of Georgia than in
their own region.

In 2003, the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, in
collaboration with Tbilisi-based Internews Georgia, launched a project
to develop two TV companies in Javakheti: Parvana TV in Ninotsminda
and ATV-12 in Akhalkalaki.

Genadi Uchumbegashvili is the Executive Director of Internews:
"In 2003, I would have hesitated to call these studios TV companies.

ATV-12 and Parvana had one amateur analogue video camera and one video
cassette recorder each. They could at most retransmit programmes from
foreign channels in their communities."

Getting up to speed

Thanks to the joint project, re-equipping the TV studios began in
2004. Both stations now have three professional digital video cameras
and three digital editing suites. Their journalists were also retrained
by international experts, including specialists from the BBC.

"We now have three news programmes and are broadcasting six hours
a day. Next year we plan to increase daily broadcasting to 12 hours
and extend coverage to the Tsalka district," says Vartanian.

He is proud of the company he built, the studio interior of which he
designed personally. "We look after our editing suites and our cameras
– the heart of our news programmes and the eyes of our TV station."

ATV-12 in Akhalkalaki also broadcasts daily news, but another of its
priorities is music programming for young people, something they will
increasingly focus on.

"Our viewers often call us asking to repeat entertainment programmes,
and we’d like to extend broadcasting time in the future," says
ATV-12 Director Valik Ktoyan. "We are planning a new programme called
‘Auto-shop’, which should generate significant profits through car
commercials," he adds.

People are listening

Both Parvana TV and ATV-12 began retransmitting Georgian-language news
programmes in September 2003 and simultaneously translating them into
Armenian, a key part of the project.

Nana Ovsepyan, a reporter at Parvana for almost a year, says that
people are very interested in the station’s news programmes. She also
teaches Georgian at a public school, but plans to continue working
for the TV company. "I work for the common good of my people and I
will continue doing so with all means available to me," she says.

Simultaneous translation is a difficult task, requiring energy and
tremendous concentration. Dali Aghdgomiladze, who translates ATV-12’s
8:00 a.m. news programme "Moambe", finds it a challenging job:
"I never know in advance what a journalist is going to say. It’s
impossible to translate every word, but the important thing is that
I provide our viewers with the content."

And the audience is listening. "When all three translators were away
for a few days of training, it caused a real uproar in Akhalkalaki,"
she adds. "People started calling us, demanding that the translations
be resumed."

Becoming self-sustainable The High Commissioner’s office expects both
TV companies to become self-financing in time. So far, OSCE support
covers translation costs only, with the lion’s share of the funding
coming from commercials and donations.

With a staff of 22 people, Parvana TV works with governmental and
non-governmental organizations to mobilize funds and support in every
way possible. Some of its programmes already have their own private
sponsors. The company is also a local Internet provider.

Internews’ Uchumbegashvili is proud that efforts to develop the
companies have been so fruitful. "Because of this project, we now
have two successful TV stations in Javakheti." A similar project has
already been launched in the Azeri-populated region of Kvemo Kartli
in May 2006 and staff members from the two Javakheti companies will
share their experiences with their new counterparts.

The collaboration between Internews and regional TV companies is a
long-term undertaking. But as both Parvana and ATV-12 are now able
to continue their work independently, the project’s primary objective
has already been accomplished.

It is 2:00 a.m. when Vartanian locks up the TV studio to go home.

"Sometimes I stay here overnight – when there’s a computer glitch or
something goes wrong with a camera. But I never regret taking up this
job," he says.

FOREIGN MINISTER TO ASK ABOUT SEMNEBY’S VISIT’S POSTPONEMENT

Panorama.am
17:18 19/06/2007

Armenian foreign ministry does not have information why Peter Semneby,
EU special representative in South Caucasus, did not visit Nagorno
Karabakh despite of his plans. Armenian foreign minister, Vartan
Oskanyan, said today he had no chance to clarify the issue. He also
told Regnum that he will meet Semneby shortly in Brussels and will
ask about the reasons. NKR President Arkadi Ghukasyan has also said
Semneby’s advisers have assured Semneby will visit Stepanakert.

Armenian Assembly of America
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:

PRESS RELEASE
June 20, 2007
CONTACT: Christine Kojoian
E-mail: [email protected]

ASSEMBLY COMMENDS THE OVER 200 SUPPORTERS OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
RESOLUTION

H. RES. 106 Reaches Another Milestone

Washington, DC – The Armenian Assembly of America today credited a
unified community effort as more than 200 lawmakers to date have
committed their support to House Resolution 106, which reaffirms the
historical fact of the Armenian Genocide.

H. Res. 106 calls upon the President to "ensure that the foreign
policy of the United States reflects appropriate understanding" of the
"Armenian Genocide" and to "accurately characterize the systematic and
deliberate annihilation of 1,500,000 Armenians as genocide" in the
President’s annual message. The legislation was introduced in January
by Armenian issues supporters Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA), George
Radanovich (R-CA) and Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Frank Pallone,
Jr. (D-NJ) and Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), together with Congressmen Brad
Sherman (D-CA) and Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI).

"Two-hundred cosponsors is an important milestone," said Schiff in a
press statement. "This overwhelming support for the resolution is
evidence that Members of Congress and their constituents believe that
recognizing the Armenian Genocide, which claimed more than a million
and a half lives, is a moral imperative."

"The Armenian Genocide resolution has reached another important
threshold," said Assembly Board of Trustees Chairman Hirair Hovnanian.
"We thank Congressmen Schiff, Radanovich, Pallone, Knollenberg,
Sherman and McCotter for their leadership and continued efforts to
pass this resolution that properly acknowledges the incontestable fact
of the Armenian Genocide. We also recognize the support of their
colleagues."

Over the past several months, Assembly leaders and activists have
conducted meetings with Members of Congress in Washington, as well as
their home districts, urging them to cosponsor this critical human
rights legislation. Most recently, on April 24, Assembly activists
headed to Capitol Hill to encourage their elected officials to
cosponsor H. Res. 106, which brought additional cosponsors.

H. Res. 106 is supported by a broad coalition of lawmakers, including
House Administration Committee Chair Robert A. Brady (D-PA),
Agriculture Committee Chair Collin Peterson (D-MN), Education and
Labor Committee Chair George Miller (D-CA), Energy and Commerce
Committee Chair John D. Dingell (D-MI), Financial Services Committee
Chair Barney Frank (D-MA), Judiciary Committee Chair John Conyers
(D-MI), Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chair Henry
A. Waxman (D-CA), Small Business Committee Chair Nydia M. Velazquez
(D-NY), Standards of Official Conduct Committee Chair Stephanie Tubbs
Jones (D-OH), Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chair Bob Filner (D-CA) and
Ways and Means Committee Chair Charles B. Rangel (D-NY).

The resolution is also supported by over 40 organizations across the
U.S. including: American Federation of Jews from Central Europe,
American Hellenic Council of CA, American Hellenic Institute, American
Hungarian Federation, American Jewish World Service, American Latvian
Association in the U.S., American Value, Belarusan-American
Association, Bulgarian Institute for Research and Analysis, Center for
Russian Jewry with Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry, Center for World
Indigenous Studies, Christian Solidarity International, Congress of
Romanian Americans, Council for the Development of French in
Louisiana, Estonian American National Council, Genocide Intervention
Network, Global Rights, Hmong National Development, Inc., Hungarian
American Coalition, Institute on Religion and Public Policy,
International Association of Genocide Scholars, Jewish Social Policy
Action Network, Jewish War Veterans of the USA, Jewish World Watch,
Joint Baltic American National Committee, Leadership Council for Human
Rights, Lithuanian American Community, Lithuanian American Council,
National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations, National Council of
Churches USA, National Federation of American Hungarians, National
Federation of Filipino American Associations, National Lawyer’s Guild,
Polish American Congress, Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, Slovak
League of America, The Georgian Association in the USA, The Workmen’s
Circle/Arbeter Ring, U.S. Baltic Foundation, Ukrainian Congress
Committee of America, Ukrainian National Association, Unitarian
Universalist Association of Congregations, United Hellenic American
Congress, Washington Chapter Czechoslovak National Council of America,
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom.

The legislation is currently pending in the House Foreign Affairs
Committee, chaired by Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA), who voted in favor of an
identical resolution last Congress.

The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based
nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness
of Armenian issues. It is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership
organization.

NR#2007-071

GEORGIAN BORDER-GUARDS DETAIN TWO ARMENIAN CITIZENS

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 18 2007

TBILISI, JUNE 18, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Georgian border-guards
on June 18 detained two Armenian citizens at the Sadakhlo check point
as they tried to leave Georgia.

According to a press service of the frontier police of the Georgian
Ministry of Internal Affairs, these two persons crossed the Georgian
border by bypassing the check point.

IRAN AMBASSADOR TO BAKU: U.S. CAN’T EASILY BRIDGE AZERBAIJAN FOR GOALS

ISNA, Iran
Iranian Students News Agency
June 18 2007

TEHRAN, Jun.18 (ISNA)-Iran’s ambassador to the Republic of Azerbaijan
said that settlement of world powers in the region, particularly in
Azerbaijan was not easily obtainable.

Referring to the recent U.S. scheme to use a radar station in
Azerbaijan for missile defense against Middle East, Naser Hamidizare
commented that "launching its defense missile in the security
boundaries of Europe" was what the U.S. was obviously after.

"By carrying out this plan, U.S. defense fort draws closer to Russia
and the result is distortion of the new power composition of Republics
in the region," he told ISNA.

He noted that after the fall of the USSR, Russia had unsuccessfully
tried to rest within the security circle of the West.

"Russia is gradually drawing away from the security systems in
the region and this is why it has recently started to declare its
strategies openly," he said.

He further said that convincing other countries to provide others
with their land and human force was not an easily obtainable task in
the world today.

"Settlement of world powers in the region, particularly in Azerbaijan
is not easily obtainable," said Hamidizare while noting the possibility
that the U.S. may use Azerbaijan as a bridge to fulfill its goals.

In another part of his talk, Hamidizare asserted that if the present
methods did not settle the Karabakh issue, then the government of
Azerbaijan would take action on its own to reclaim its lost lands.

He said the Karabakh crisis could not be dealt with as "temporary"
because history of the land in which it is located shows that world
powers have taken action in this region based on their macro-policies.

Karabakh broke away in the late 1980s, triggering a war between
separatists and the Azeri state between 1992 and 1994. More than
35,000 people were killed.

Since the war, the enclave and lands around it have been controlled
by a separatist army, backed by Armenian volunteers.

"In the new geopolitical composition of maps, 20 percent of the
Azerbaijan land is conferred to Armenia. That wouldn’t have happened
without the support of world powers. Today with the rise of crisis,
the Azerbaijani people have come to realize that they are being
treated such because they are Muslims," said Hamidizare.

He further added that Azerbaijan had called for the West and the
Minsk group to resolve the issue via peace and negotiations.

"They hope to get back their lands but if the present methods do not
settle the issue, the government has declared to take action on its
own to reclaim its lost lands," he reiterated.

PROSECUTED AZERBAIJANI SOLDIER DOES NOT CONSIDER HIMSELF GUILTY

TREND News Agency, Azerbaijan
June 15 2007

Azerbaijan, Baku / Trend corr. K.Zarbaliyeva / The preparation hearing
of Eldaniz Nuriyev, charged with treason, was presided over by Judge
Mammadbagir Zeynalov in the Azerbaijani Court of Grave Crimes on
14 June.

During the closed hearing, Nuriyev testified and did not confess to
being guilty.

Nuriyev is charged with changing shifts of guards, desertion and
treason. Nuriyev was called up to military service from the Fizuli
region Armed Commissariat.

After five months, Nuriyev left the Fizuli region N Military Department
without permission and was taken as prisoner by Armenians.

In compliance with the bill of indictment, the soldier, who left the
Military Department, operated against Azerbaijan and divulged State
secrets to the enemy country.

FIVE FOREIGN BANKS EXPRESS WISH TO START BUSINESS IN ARMENIA

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
June 15 2007

YEREVAN, June 15. /ARKA/. Five foreign banks expressed wish in 2007
to start a business in Armenia, Tigran Sargsyan, chairman of the
Central Bank of Armenia said Friday.

He told journalists that five foreign banks from Germany, Austria,
Netherlands, Lebanon and Russia applied to the CBA for entering
Armenian banking area.

Sargsyan called these banks experienced financial organizations having
professional traditions.

"Their appearance in Armenian banking sector will considerably
intensify competition", he said.

The CBA head also said that only those banks whose management enables
them to deepen the knowledge they possess and obtain new will be able
to survive amid growing competition.

The Central Bank’s figures show that Armenian banking system’s actual
authorized capital has grown 32.9% or by AMD 19809.7mln over 2006 to
AMD 80107.6mln.

Non-residents’ participation in Armenian banks’ capital grew 16% and
reached AMD 35670.2mln by late 2006. They participation made 44.52%
of the Armenian banks’ aggregate authorized capital.

According to the information, Armenian banking system’s aggregate
authorized capital reached AMD 82907.5mln by late March 2007 and
non-residents’ participation in Armenian banks’ capital has risen 8.3%
(by AMD 2956mln) over a period between January and March 2007 to
AMD 38626.2mln.

Non-residents’ quota in Armenian banking system’s capital made 46.59%
by late March 2007 against 44.53% earlier this year.

21 banks function in Armenia now. ($1 – AMD 347.73).

ISSUE OF RETURNING SHAHUMIAN AND GETASHEN REGIONS OF KARABAKH DEMANDED TO BE INCLUDED IN NEGOTIATIONS
By Nana Petrosian

AZG Armenian Daily
14/06/2007

Head of the "Shahumian-Getashen" social organization Edik Baloyan
announced on a conference on June 12, "The Issue of Shahumian and
Getashen regions, occupied by Azerbaijan, shall be in any case included
in the agenda of peace negotiations on Nagorno-Karabakh". He added
that azerbaijan, making use of the Minsk Group not including in the
talks the question of those regions, is trying to represent itself
as a victim of Armenian aggression.

Baloyan also spoke of the problems of refugees and people expelled
from Getashen and Shahumian. He said that the question of their
housing can be solved by returning them their own lands. According
to information provided by "REGNUM" agency, the number of people fled
from Shahumian-Getashen equals 21 thousand, of which 17 thousand took
refuge in the Republic of Armenia

It is already 15 years that the regions of Shahumian and Getashen
have been occupied by the armed forces of Azerbaijan. In connection
with that anniversary the "Nicol Agbalian" youth wing of the
"Dashnaktsutiun" party organized a demonstration in Yerevan in order
to draw the attention of the embassies of USA, France and Russia to
the matter.