Author: Madatian Greg

ALL ARMENIAN BANK TO FUND NATIONAL PROJECTS

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
25.05.2009 22:18 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ During its regular council session held in Yerevan
on May 24, RA National Competitiveness Fund (NCF) discussed issues
concerning the foundation of All Armenian Bank. Presiding over the
session was RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, RA Government’s Press
Service reports.

According to the Government release, All Armenian Bank will fund
national projects containing innovative elements which will be
implemented by Armenian community representatives all over the world.

The discussion also focused on issues concerning the Government’s steps
towards overcoming crisis impact and promoting steady development of
competitiveness in Armenia.

In addition, Council members approved the list of events aimed at
implementation of programs in spheres of healthcare, education and
tourism.

The session was attended by President’s Chief Economic Advisor Vahram
Nersisyants, RA Minister of Economy Nerses Yeritsyan, Finance Minister
Tigran Davtyan, FM Edward Nalbandyan, CBA Chairman Arthur Djavadyan,
Troyka Dialog company’s Director Ruben Vardanyan, McKINSEY & Co Munich
office Director Andre Andonyan, Wolters Kluwer PCi company’s Executive
Director Raffi Festekjyan, WB Yerevan office manager Aristomene
Varoudakis and NCF Executive Director Bekor Papazyan.

`Armenian Genocide: organizers and perpetrators’ book presented in
Yerevan
22.05.2009 22:07 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Gevorg Sargsyants’ `Armenian Genocide: organizers
and perpetrators’ book was presented in Yerevan today.
The author said the ides to write the book occurred to him when he was
reading Soghomon Teyleryan’s `Talaat’s Execution’ which was translated
into Eastern-Armenian in 1994.
`Not recognition of the Armenian Genocide but recognition of Turkey’s
responsibility for the crime is what we should press for,’ Sargsyants
said.
Gevorg Sargsyants was born in Baku in 1947. He move to Yerevan in
1959. He worked in the state security system. Presently, he teaches
political psychology at Yerevan State University.

ANS TV, Azerbaijan
May 22 2009

Azeri ruling party official slams French mediator in Karabakh talks

A senior member of Azerbaijan’s ruling party has criticised a French
mediator for his comments that Turkey should not link its
normalisation talks with Armenia to the settlement of the Nagornyy
Karabakh conflict.

"I think that this is not in conformity with the functions or mission
of a mediator," Ali Ahmadov, executive secretary of the New Azerbaijan
Party, said in parliament on 22 May. In comments broadcast on ANS
television, Ahmadov urged international mediators "to give up such
habits".

Bernard Fassier, the French co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group which
has been tasked with mediating a peaceful resolution to the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, had said that the Turkish-Armenian
talks should not be connected with the efforts to resolve the Nagornyy
Karabakh conflict.

"Normalisation of Turkish-Armenian relations and the settlement of the
Nagornyy-Karabakh dispute are two separate processes which should
continue in parallel but along their own paths," the French embassy in
Ankara said in a statement after a visit there by Bernard Fassier,
Reuters reported.

Ahmadov said the Azerbaijani people and president believed that the
two issues were interconnected and therefore international mediators
should respect this view. The other two co-chairs of the Minsk Group
represent Russia and the USA.

The statement comes as some senior officials in Baku openly accuse the
West of taking a pro-Armenian stance in the resolution of the Nagornyy
Karabakh conflict.

ARTSVIK MINASIAN: MISTAKES IN NATIONAL ISSUES CAB BECOME IRREVERSIBLE

Yerkir
22.05.2009 17:00

Yerevan (Yerkir) – "Leaving the coalition was not wrong. The borders
will not open. We should not become victims of the football diplomacy.

Turkey, today, is given an opportunity to turn its international
obligations into rights," Artsvik Minsasian told a news conference
at the National Assembly today when asked if leaving the coalition
was justified.

He said that the fact that the border has not been opened yet and
the Turkish officials’ statements indicate that Armenia has made
concessions in the "football diplomacy."

"I think that if we don’t stop these talks as soon as possibly, we
may have damaging consequences. After all, when Dashnaktsutyun left
the coalition and became opposition – due to the situation in the
foreign policy – has a goal: to prevent the authorities from making
possible mistakes because mistakes in national issues may take many
generations, lots of efforts and lots of time," he said.

ARMENIA INTENDS TO ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE IN EASTERN PARTNERSHIP

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
22.05.2009 20:21 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia’s foreign minister Edward Nalbandian met
with Mathias Yorsh, Chairman of the parliamentary committee on European
issues of Hungary on May 22.

Armenia’s foreign minister mentioned, that cooperation between
Armenia and Hungary is developing in the framework of bilateral and
multilateral relations, business and cultural ties are strengthening.

Mathias Yorsh emphasized that his visit is aimed at discussing Eastern
partnership program with Armenian authorities. The Hungarian official
stressed the necessity of moderating the visa regime. The sides touched
upon recent developments in Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement,
exchanged opinions on Armenian-Turkish relationship, press office of
the ministry of foreign affairs reports.

S. FARMANYAN REJECTS THE EXISTANCE OF A "SPECIAL HEADQUARTER" SET UP IN THE PRESIDENT’S OFFICE ON MARCH 1 OR BEFORE IT

ARMENPRESS
May 22, 2009

YEREVAN, MAY 22, ARMENPRESS: During the latest period news have been
circulating in the Armenian press that the former Armenian Head of the
Police Hayk Harutyunian stated in the NA that a special headquarter was
established in the Armenian President’s office on March 1 or before it.

In response to the question of Armenpress whether this information
is true and what details may be revealed on the activity of the
headquarter spokesman to the Armenian President Samvel Farmanyan noted:
"No headquarter has been established in the President’s office in
connection with the emergency situation announced on 1 March 2008,
neither before that, therefore it is impossible to provide information
about the activity of a "headquarter" which did not exist."

WILL THE NA GRANT AN AMNESTY?

A1+
06:31 pm | May 22, 2009

Politics

Spokeswoman for the National Assembly’s Speaker commented on NA
Speaker Hovik Abrahamian’s statement regarding amnesty granting.

"The Speaker of the national Assembly, Hovik Abrahamian simply did not
rule out the possibility of a general amnesty, expressing his good
wish. Under the constitution of the Republic of Armenia, it is the
president of the republic who is authorized to make such a proposal,
only after it, the National Assembly can grant an amnesty ," said
Mr. Petrosian.

Remind that Parliament speaker Hovik Abrahamian announced that
President Serzh Sarkisian will declare next week a general amnesty
for opposition members arrested following last year’s Armenian
presidential election.

AZNAVOUR SETS A GOOD EXAMPLE

A1+
11:47 am | May 22, 2009

Official

The Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly, Hovik Abrahamian, issued
a congratulatory message on the occasion of the 85th anniversary of
renowned singer Charles Aznavour.

"Your life and activity serve as a good model for all those who make
their first steps in the sphere of music, histrionics and cinema. Being
an honest child of the Armenian and French peoples you set a bridge
of mutual confidence between the two countries under question. Your
worldwide fame belongs to Armenia as well as you always speak about
Armenia with deepest respect and are proud of your Armenian descent.

Once again I congratulate you on your birthday and wish you robust
health, heappiness and new acheivements," runs the message.

EXPORT CONSORTIUMS NEED TO BE ESTABLISHED IN ARMENIA

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
21.05.2009 18:22 GMT+04:00

Export Consortiums need to be established in Armenia, told Robert
Haroutiunyan, director general of the Armenian Development Agency
(ADA), a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

"Currently, when it is difficult to find new markets, small
companies need to unite their efforts in entering new markets," he
said. According to him, ADA jointly with UNIDO and Cheese Producers
Association elaborated a project aimed at establishing an export
consortium, in particular for cheeses producers. The project has
already submitted to the government.

According to Mr. Haroutiunyan, some 70 producers of cheese currently
operate in Armenia, as well as a number of small entrepreneurs in
the regions. "It is necessary to unite them under the common brand
to present Armenian cheese properly in the world market," he said.

The work of consortium will enable Armenian producers of cheese to
triple the current volume of exports to 1200 – 1400 tons.

Initially the Cheese Producers Association will hold a half of shares
of the new consortium, and the rest will belong to the government,
which will gradually sell its shares to the consortium. Export
consortium will be equipped with laboratory, production line, packing
technology, enabling to produce high quality products in line with
international standards, said Mr. Haroutiunyan.

PARLIAMENTARIAN FROM HERITAGE: WHEN TRYING TO ESTABLISH ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS ARMENIA LOSES DIASPORA’S CONFIDENCE

aArmInfo
2009-05-19 15:49:00

ArmInfo. During the 32nd session of the CIS Inter-Parliamentary
Assembly in St.Petersbourg on May 14, Representative of Turkey
Chaushogly came out against Armenia at dictation of the Azerbaijani
delegation and blamed Armenia for occupying 30% of Azerbaijan, Armenian
MP from the Heritage oppositional faction Vardan Khachatryan, who
was a member of the Armenian delegation, told ArmInfo correspondent.

Khachatryan said that according to Chaushogly, it is impossible
to ensure the security of Europe without settling the conflict in
Azerbaijan’s favor.

"Turkey and Azerbaijan came out as a single team. I was amazed at such
behavior of Turkish and Azeri representatives",- Khachatryan said. As
regards establishment of Armenian-Turkish relations, the MP stressed:
"It is senseless to say that during normalization of Armenian- Turkish
relations Turkey may disregard Azerbaijan’s interests as Azerbaijan’s
pressure on Turkey is resistless".

Khachatryan added that in such a case Armenia can do nothing but draw
the boundary on which the talks with Turkey should be suspended. "The
only achievement of Armenia over the recent period is the loss of
Armenian Diaspora’s confidence",- stressed Khachatryan. "The change of
the Armenian Diaspora’s position was obvious even during the Eurovision
song contest",- he said. Asked how the Armenian president’s optimism
about the Armenian-Turkish relations is explained, Khachatryan said:
"Probably, the president knows what I am unaware of".