Author: Maghakian Mike

University Director’s Project Earns ENERGY GLOBE Award

An Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) administrator’s
novel scheme for replenishing forests in the Republic of Armenia while
simultaneously fighting poverty in the former Soviet Union, is one of the
world’s best environmental projects.

Newswise Science News (Source: Indiana University-Purdue University
Indianapolis, May 29, 2008)-An IUPUI administrator’s novel scheme for
replenishing forests in the Republic of Armenia while simultaneously
fighting poverty in the former Soviet Union, is one of the world’s best
environmental projects.

The Backyard Nursery Project, designed and initiated in Armenia by Ian
McIntosh, Ph.D., is the recipient of a national ENERGY GLOBE Award for
Sustainability. The award-winning project involves the creation of
micro-businesses – backyard tree nurseries – to meet reforestation needs,
combat deforestation by reducing reliance on trees for fuel, and boost
income among some of Armenia’s poorest citizens.

>From 2002-2004, McIntosh, now IUPUI’s director of international
partnerships, served in Armenia as deputy country director of the
Yerevan-based Armenia Tree Project. There – along with forester George
Nercessian – McIntosh, an applied anthropologist, spearheaded the Backyard
Nursery Project.

ENERGY GLOBE Awards recognize extraordinary environmental projects that
conserve and protect resources or use renewable energy. An international
winner is chosen in each of five categories: water, earth, fire, air and
youth. National award winners are the best in their respective countries. A
gala ceremony honoring all ENERGY GLOBE winners took place Monday (May 26,
2008) at the Plenary Hall of the European Parliament in Brussels.

McIntosh’s project, a collaboration with villagers in Aygut in northern
Armenia’s Getik River valley, has involved the creation of more than 400
backyard tree nurseries and the planting of more than one million trees in
Armenia’s denuded forests.

Following the fall of the Soviet Union and the outbreak of war with
Azerbaijan, Armenia’s oil and natural gas supplies were slashed. The
country’s forests took a major blow as citizens turned to trees as a source
for heating and cooking fuel.

"So rapid was the loss of tree cover when the oil and gas supplies from
Azerbaijan were cut that Armenia was facing desertification within 20
years," McIntosh said. "And with the loss of trees came the loss of top
soil, the spoiling of rivers and other fresh water supplies, and erosion on
a massive scale, threatening to destroy the infrastructure – roads, train
lines, even whole towns – of the young Armenian nation."

The Aygut villagers, victims of ethnic cleansing during the war with
Azerbaijan over the contested province of Nagorno Karabakh, were contracted
to grow trees in the tiny fertile spaces they had available in their
backyards. The families involved, some of the nation’s poorest, have doubled
their annual income through the program.

"It was no easy decision for them," McIntosh said. "How much land could they
spare to grow trees for monetary reward, and how much land was essential for
the growing of precious food to last them through the long Armenian winter?"

Although many households initially were not prepared to take the risk, the
model has proven to be very successful. A number of other Getik River valley
villages as well as villages elsewhere in the Caucasus have adopted the
project.

Officials of Armenian Tree Project accepted the ENERGY GLOBE award during
Monday’s gala which was broadcast around the world.

For additional details on the awards, visit
ward

C 2008 Newswise. All Rights Reserved.

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COMMISSION ON PROTECTION OF ECONOMIC COMPETITION INITIATES PROCEEDING BASED ON MASS MEDIA PUBLICATIONS

14402
Noyan tapan
jUNE 11, 2008

YEREVAN, JUNE 11, NOYAN TAPAN. At the June 11 sitting, the RA State
Commission on Protection of Economic Competition initiated a proceeding
based on the publications in Aravot daily and ,
according to which nitrogen fertilizer is sold for 9,500-15,00 drams in
the market, whereas the state gives a subsidy for this commodity. Some
big economic entities explained to reporters that they sell fertilizer
for 5,050, 6,200 and 6,800 drams.

According to a press release submitted to NT, the commission recently
examined the structure of the nitrogen fertilizer market and by the May
27 decision, it considered Dvin Holding-Azotinvest companies as a group
of persons with a dominating position and put them on the respective
register (Dvin Holding is one of the founders of Azotinvest operating
in the given market, which, under the RA Law on Protection of Economic
Competition, means that these two companies are to be considered as
a group of persons and they operate as one economic entity in the
market). Dvin Holding-Azotinvest group of persons occupies 81.2%
of the market.

The Commission also discussed Shen-Concern company’s application
about decentralization. Shen-Concern informed the Commission that
one of its shareholders intends to sell its stake to two other big
shareholders. In accordance with the RA Law on Protection of Economic
Competition, the company presented the decentralization declarations
of its three big shareholders in anticipation of receiving permission
for concluding this deal.

Having examined the presented documents, the Commission came to the
conclusion that the given deal is made within a company, so it will
ot affect the competition field. It was decided to end the proceeding.

OBAMA MAY UPHOLD GENOCIDE CLAIMS

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
June 11 2008

Senator Barack Obama may become the first US president to recognize
Armenian claims that their ancestors were subject to a systematic
genocide campaign at the hands of the late Ottoman Empire, experts say.

Formal backing of the claims by the US administration could mean
a major blow to ties between NATO allies Turkey and the United
States. Turkey categorically denies genocide charges, saying instead
Turks and Armenians died in a civil conflict during World War I years
when Armenians took up arms against the Ottoman Empire in collaboration
with the Russian army, which was then invading eastern Anatolia,
in hope of creating an independent Armenian state.

"The Armenian issue is just one factor in the Turkish-US ties if
everything else goes well," Sedat Laciner, head of the Ankara-based
International Strategic Research Organization (ISRO/USAK), was quoted
as saying by the Anatolia news agency. "But if problems emerge, the
Armenian question could put oil on fire and we may suddenly see fires
engulfing the ties," he added.

US presidents have so far refused to call the World War I events
genocide and no US administration has supported efforts in the US
Congress to recognize the alleged genocide, fearing it will harm ties
with Turkey. But Obama’s position may be different. The Democratic
candidate for president has pledged to Armenian groups during his
election campaign that he will back the genocide claims if elected
president.

"Possibilities that Obama will back the genocide claims are still not
big, but compared to President George W. Bush, the risk is greater,"
said Å~^anlı Bahadır Koc, an expert on Turkish-American relations
at the Center for Eurasian Studies Center (ASAM). He said Obama would
be under pressure to keep his words to the Armenian groups if he is
elected. But there will also be others on his team telling him about
the importance of good ties with Turkey. "It is difficult to say who
will win in this," he said.

Contrary to Obama, Republican candidate John McCain is known to be
opposing efforts for US recognition of the genocide claims. Koc said
a problem between Turkey and the US on the Armenian issue is unlikely
if McCain is elected.

–Boundary_(ID_pjhOdBF3ibv7e0erloucxQ)–

ARMENIAN SUBSIDIARY OF "NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS" PLANS TO INCREASE STAFF

Noyan Tapan

Ju ne 9, 2008

YEREVAN, JUNE 9, NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenian subsidiary of National
Instruments company (US) plans to increase its staff in order to
meet growing demand for its work, NT correspondent was informed by
the subsidiary’s director Aram Salatian.

In his words, the Armenian subsidiary of National Instruments
(NI) carries out foreign companies’ orders related to engineering
solutions of IT use in energy, production automation, aviation and
space industries, and chip testing sectors. During its activity,
the subsidiary uses potential of its 20 engineers and scientists
of Yerevan scientific institutions. According to A. Salatian, NI
Armenian subsidiary has been operating in Yerevan for a year and
has established links with the RA National Academy of Sciences which
provides information about 30 academic institutions in Yerevan. "There
is no place in the world, even in countries like Japan, Russia, China
or the U.S, where so many scientific institutions of various spheres
are concentrated in a small area. Thus, thanks to these scientific
institutions, considerable knoweledge becomes accessible and NI
Armenian subsidiary is able to solve any problem," the directior of
the Armenian subsidiary said.

In his words, the subsidiary proposes IT solutions for detecting oil
leakage from oil pipelines in Russia and Belarus, monitoring of pump
operation in Saudi Arabia and for determining temperature and pressure
of furnaces in India.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT INVITED TO RUSSIA LATER IN JUNE

ARKA
June 4, 2008

YEREVAN, June 4. /ARKA/. Armenian President Serge Sargsyan has been
invited by his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev to make a working
visit to Russia in the second half of June.

The presidential press service said Russian Ambassador Extraordinary
and Plenipotentiary to Armenia Nikolay Pavlov handed the invitation
to Armenian president at their meeting on June 4.

On behalf of the Russian president, the Ambassador expressed his
gratitude to Armenian president for congratulating Medvedev on his
election to the post of Russia’s president.

"CITIZENS SHOULD APPLY TO COURT"

Panorama.am
14:59 03/06/2008

Some days before Panorama.am editorial staff receives calls from
people living in Qanaqer-Zeytun who complain that some people destroy
their gardens and they can not do anything. The thing is that a few
years ago people living nearby cleaned up the territory at Avan-Arinj
railway and establish gardens.

Now their gardens are being destroyed with the statement that in 2004
those territories were sold out.

Julietta Aslanyan, who lives in Qanaqer-Zeytun said that she herself
made her garden. "And now they destroy the trees, the huge trees which
we have grown up for years," she said. Some people tell that they have
applied to regional head for registering and owning the territories but
they were answered that if the territories were sold they would inform
them. But it comes out that the territories were even sold before.

People were told to rebuy the territories from the owners by 27
thousands for one km. But the price is higher than the real owners
have bought. To clarify the issue Panorama.am asked a lawyer how to
act in this case. Lawyer Vahe Grigoryan said that people should apply
to court and to fight for their rights.

Note that Gagik Lazarian of the Municipality of Yerevan said that
if they don’t have documents proving that the territory belongs to
them then it is illegality what they do there.

OSCE MONITORS TROOPS CONTACT LINE

Trend News Agency
June 2 2008
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Baku, 2 June /Trend News corr G. Jabiyev/ According to the
mandate of the personal representative of the OSCE chairman-in-office,
on 3 June a monitoring will be held at the troops contact line nearby
Mazamli village in Gazakh region of Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijani
Defence Ministry reported to Trend News.

The conflict between the two countries of the South Caucasus began in
1988 due to Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan
lost the Nagorno-Karabakh, except of Shusha and Khojali, in December
1991. In 1992-93, Armenian Armed Forces occupied Shusha, Khojali and
Nagorno-Karabakh’s seven surrounding regions. In 1994, Azerbaijan
and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which time the active
hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group ( Russia,
France, and the US) are currently holding peaceful, but fruitless
negotiations.

For the preservation of ceasefire, OSCE regularly monitors the troops
contact line.

On the Azerbaijan side, the monitoring will be held by assistants of
the OSCE Chairman-in-office’s personal representative Antal Herdich
and Irji Aberle.

On the opposite side of the line, which is recognized at international
level as Azerbaijan’s territory, the monitoring will be held by
Imre Palatinus and Vladimir Chontulov, assistants of the OSCE
Chairman-in-office’s personal representative.

VAGIF SADIKHOV: "CHANCES FOR THE PEACEFUL RESOLUTION OF THE KARABAKH CONFLICT ARE REDUCING BUT AZERBAIJAN WILL BE LOYAL TO ITS COMMITMENTS TILL THE END"

Today.Az
ics/45378.html
June 3 2008
Azerbaijan

Day.Az interview with deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Vagif
Sadikhov.

– Co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, various organizations and
countries constantly call on the parties of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict to make mutual concessions for the problem settlement. It
is clear for Armenia, but is it reasonable to demand concessions from
Azerbaijan, a party, which suffered from occupation?

– Certainly, on the whole, compromises, as a basis of a negotiation
process, no matter whether it is Karabakh or any other issue, are
a normal event. People come to the negotiation table, when they are
ready to sacrifice something, concede in something and finally come
to a coordinated decision. Let’s admit that otherwise they would not
come to the negotiation table. This is a facilitated vision of the
issue. Yet in the situation, related to issue of life or death, one
should think over how far we ready to go in our concessions, especially
when issues are related to basic moments, such as territorial integrity
and sovereignty.

Azerbaijan has been within the so-called "Minsk process" since 1992
since the creation of this group. We base on the fact that Azerbaijan
has always been open to compromises and we have sacrificed to much
for the negotiation process during all achievements and drops, during
all changes and problems in the international life around this process
both in Armenia and in Azerbaijan.

But Azerbaijan side always undertook steps for not going beyond this
line between the principal position and compromises. It is clear to
everybody that there are strategic principles backed by strategic
interests. But in the framework of this strategy a country has any
tactic plans, which is normal, checks it in advance considering its
own potential and opportunities of other countries in the predicted
situation. Sometimes the development of this situation can not depend
on us, when something occurs somewhere and situation may change.

Therefore, we do not make the word "compromise" abstract, but at the
same time we study thoroughly what we are proposed and what we are
presented in the package of compromises.

I can say that whatever is said by different parties the executive
power of Azerbaijan has never forgotten the principal position of
the Azerbaijani state and Azerbaijani people and the whole work on
the negotiation process has always been carried out on the basis of
an exact plan.

Yes, in some moments, we indeed consider the development of
international situation and may exaggerate some moments, but at the
same time we have never given up our principal position and will never
do it in the future. We study the proposals, received from all sides,
and we study these appeals for compromises through the prism of our
own interests.

– But some people still state that without compromises from Azerbaijani
side the resolution of the conflict is impossible, trying to make us
accept the situation of the status-quo…

– You know at the recent conference in Baku its speaker also started
to speak in this direction, saying that demonstration of a principal
position is good, but can this promote an agreement?

We can not forget our principal positions. The constantly voiced
appeals for compromises in conditions when we settle this conflict
in the framework of international organizations, which has its own
principles (in this case, this is the Helsinki final act), as if
saying: "Yes, we do have principles, but we do not want to use them
in assessment of this situation and just offer you to forget them
and come to an agreement independently".

And my answer is: "Don’t you think that by this way you recognize
the completed situation and if by some reasons you recognize the
occupation of our territories by Armenia, you are on a very dangerous
path, as tomorrow, when the situation reverse and President and senior
commander of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev orders to the Defense Minister to
start military actions for restoration of the territorial integrity,
the situation will reverse and in this situation you will have to
ask Armenia: "Take the situation into account and make compromises"?"

Thus, this is a vicious circle. If once you reject international
principles, you step on the way, when you will have to speak about
compromises and forget principles depending on the situation in the
field of battle. This is a cynic approach.

– Meanwhile, Azerbaijan itself has emtrusted the resolution of the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict to OSCE, yet this mediation has not brought
any results. Does it create doubts regarding the OSCE ability to
settle the problem and how urgent is the proposal to replace the
co-chairing countries of the Minsk Group in this connection?

– Despite the complexity of the negotiation process and all the
critical statements addressed to the co-chairs and their separate
actions, we consider it necessary to go through the peaceful part of
the resolution till the end. Yes, chances for the peaceful resolution
of the conflict are reducing but Azerbaijan considers it possible
to advance and we want to be loyal to our commitments. Therefore,
we will move forward until there is a single chance to settle this
conflict peacefully.

EXCEPTIONAL YOUTH REWARDED
Rafael Brusilow

Metro Canada – Vancouver
June 2 2008
Canada

Proving that giving to others makes you richer, 20 of Canada’s
brightest volunteers are getting a free university education as reward
for their efforts in helping to make their own communities better.

The 20 high school students from across Canada were each chosen
to receive a TD Canada Trust Scholarship for Community Leadership,
valued at up to $60,000 and covering four years of tuition, spending
money and offers of summer employment with TD Canada Trust.

Each student demonstrated initiative, ingenuity and perseverance in
doing something that benefited his or her own community, qualities
the program’s executive director, Jane Thompson, says cut across all
of Canada’s cultural, economic and political barriers.

"Our winners are from the full range of Canadian society, coast to
coast, all different income levels and all sorts of issues in our
community. It’s an incredible experience just to spend time with
these amazing young people," Thompson said.

Diana Varvarici, 18, from Newtonbrook Secondary School in Toronto was
honoured for her work creating a volunteer translation service for new
immigrants to Canada as well as her efforts running cultural events in
her community, which raised money for charity. Varvarici, multilingual
herself — along with English she speaks Russian, Armenian and French
— got the idea for a volunteer translation service upon seeing how
hard life can be for new immigrants who don’t speak English or French.

"When they come here, they don’t necessarily understand all of the
things they need to do in this country because it’s so difficult to
adapt to a new place," she said.

Varvarici’s 65 student volunteers, all aged 14-22, offer help to
immigrants in 15 different languages as well as advice and assistance
in dealing with OHIP, social insurance, legal documents and even
transit travel routes.

Seventeen-year-old Kayode Fatoba received the award for creating a
soccer program to give kids in his community — Toronto’s troubled Jane
and Finch neighbourhood — something constructive and empowering to do
in their free time. The soccer program started two years ago with the
only funding coming from a local hot dog vendor who paid for uniforms
and gave the kids free hot dogs after games. Today the program boasts
three teams with roughly 15 players each and is growing. Without the
scholarship award, Fatoba would never have gotten a chance to go to
university — now he plans to attend Simon Fraser University to study
Health Sciences in September.

"The most rewarding part of the program is that a lot of people look
up to me, and that’s something you can’t buy. When a kid looks up to
you, that’s priceless," Fatoba said.

Jane Wu, 17, from Calgary created and organized the "Beauty and
Brains" conference to promote stronger career aspirations among young
women. The conference was so successful, it now has the funding
to continue for the next three-to-five years and Wu plans to take
it nationwide.

"What we really want to do is to expose women to the vast horizons
they have in front of them. It’s absolutely amazing to see how a
small idea can snowball into something so big," Wu said.

Her advice? Try getting engaged in your own community.

"When you’re being selfless you learn so much about yourself and
connect so well to your community. Just do it once and I promise
you’ll be hooked," she said.

Cassandra Fong, 18, from Vancouver did something sure to amaze viewers
of crime dramas like CSI and Law & Order — she created a lie detector
test which is 100-per-cent accurate, compared to about 90-per-cent
accuracy for a traditional test.

The secret is that instead of measuring shifts in perspiration and
heart rate like a normal test, Fong’s test measures chaotic shifts in
stomach frequencies. She got the idea for the technique when learning
about how the stomach works in her biology class.

Fong’s invention has garnered interest from police services and
university researchers and Fong has already started the patent process.

As for her friends, Fong jokes, "They definitely won’t be lying to
me now!"

Winners of the award program, started 13 years ago, were chosen from a
pool of 4200 kids across Canada by a panel of judges, which included
Canadian Senators, business and educational professionals and past
award recipients.

OWN CAPITAL OF CBA MAKES 29 BILLION 146.4 MILLION DRAMS AT END OF FIRST QUARTER OF 2008

Noyan Tapan

Ju ne 2, 2008

YEREVAN, JUNE 2, NOYAN TAPAN. By the balance sheet of the Central
Bank of Armenia (CBA) at the end of the first quarter of 2008, the
CBA’s overall assets made 583 bln 551 mln 171 thousand drams or about
1 bln 895 mln USD.

The same index made 587 bln 889 mln 67 thousand drams in late 2007.

According to data of the CBA press service, CBA’s foreign currency
assets made 383 mln 131 thousand drams at the end of 1st quarter of
2008 and 72 mln 430 thousand drams in late 2007; its dram assets – 88
bln 768 mln 72 thousand drams and 82 bln 917 mln 546 thousand drams
respectively; overall liabilities – 612 bln 697 mln 656 thousand
drams and 631 bln 442 mln 662 thousand drams respectively; foreign
currency liabilities – 96 bln 330 mln 298 thousand drams and 99 bln
110 mln 491 thousand drams respectively; and the CBA’s liabilities
in drams made 516 bln 367 mln 267 thousand drams and 532 bln 332 mln
171 thousand drams respectively.

At the end of 1st quarter of 2008, the overall own capital of the
CBA made 29 bln 146 mln 394 thousand drams – against 43 bln 533 mln
595 thousand drams in late 2007.