Author: Maghakian Mike

KAREN BEKARYAN: TURKEY CANNOT DRAG THE RATIFICATION ANY LONGER
Anna Nazaryan

"Radiolur"
14.12.2009 16:03

Turkey is conducting a swing policy, and if we follow this policy,
it becomes clear that that country cannot drag the ratification
of the protocols any longer, since the Obama-Erdogan meeting in
Washington showed that Turkey has found itself in a hard situation
in all other directions," President of the European Integration NGO
Karen Bekaryan said.

"Turkey refused to send troops to Afghanistan. That’s something the US
expected. It’s in a hard situation as regards the Kurdish and Cyprus
issues. It failed to act as a mediator in the US-Iran relations. After
all this, Turkey cannot but solve at least the issue of normalization
of the Armenian-Turkish relations," Karn Beckaryan said.

ANKARA’S ATTEMPTS TO LINK KARABAKH TO ARMENIAN-TURKISH RECONCILIATION DOOMED TO FAILURE

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
10.12.2009 15:03 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Ankara’s attempts to link Karabakh issue to the
Armenian-Turkish reconciliation are doomed to failure, RA President
said.

"We are grateful to all states and politicians who contributed to
dialogue between Armenia and Turkey. But I would like to emphasize
that only Yerevan and Ankara will be responsible for success or
failure of the Armenian-Turkish process," Serzh Sargsyan said at a
joint news conference with his Latvian counterpart Valdis Zatlers.

President Sargsyan also said he welcome U.S. President Barack Obama’s
position on normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations.

IN 2010 ARMENIA EXPECTS INCREASE IN INFLOW OF TOURISTS

ArmInfo
2009-12-09 14:41:00

ArmInfo. In 2010 Armenia expects to receive 650,000 tourists against
600,000 this year, says the head of the Tourism Department of the
Ministry of Economy of Armenia Mekhak Apressyan.

422,000 tourists visited in Jan-Sept 2009 – 6% more than a year before.

Apressyan says that his department is implementing an active campaign
on international markets. A documentary film about Armenia and the
origin, historical heritage, culture and traditions of the Armenian
nation is currently being shown in different countries. The movie
presents Ararat Mountains, the city of Ani, Nagorno-Karabakh, the
Armenian Genocide issue. One more film about Armenia will soon be
telecast in Poland.

LATVIAN PRESIDENT ARRIVING IN ARMENIA DECEMBER 9

PanARMENIAN.Net
08.12.2009 12:13 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Latvian President Valdis Zatlers will arrive in
Yerevan on December 9 on invitation of his Armenian counterpart
Serzh Sargsyan.

The Latvian delegation will include Ministers of Economy, Foreign
Affairs, Environment, chairman of the parliamentary committee on
external relations and other officials, RA leader’s press office
told PanARMENIAN.Net.

Upon arrival the Latvian President and his spouse will attend an event
dedicated to the 50th anniversary of establishment of the Matenadaran,
the Depositary of Ancient Manuscripts.

On December 10, a solemn ceremony in the presidential residence will
be followed by Sargsyan- Zatlers meeting in private. A number of
documents will be signed.

Mr. Zatlers is also supposed to meet with RA NA Speaker Hovik
Abrahamyan, Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, Yerevan Mayor Gagik
Beglaryan and Catholicos of All Armenians, His Holiness Karekin II.

The Latvian delegation will lay a wreath to the Armenian Genocide
Memorial and meet with the students and teaching staff of Yerevan
State University

THE FIELD WORKS OF CONSTRUCTION OF OIL REFINERY IN ARMENIA TO KICK OFF IN THE COMING YEAR

ARMENPRESS
DECEMBER 4, 2009
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 4, ARMENPRESS: Negotiations over the construction
of oil refinery in Armenia have already been completed and soon a
financial contract over it is intended to be signed, Armenian Energy
and Natural Resources Minister Armen Movsisyan told today. According
to him, from the next year, after weather becomes warm the field
works will kick off.

The minister said that the Russian side expressed wish to have 5-10%
participation in the program via "ArmRusGasProm" company. Till now
the Russian participation was not clear yet.

According to initial assessments, for the construction of oil refinery
in Armenia by the Armenian-Russian-Iranan cooperation 5 years and
2,5-3 billion USD investments will be needed. It is expected to give
7,5 million tons of production annually.

ARMENIA AND KOREAN PARLIAMENTS SIGNED MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING

PanARMENIAN.Net
03.12.2009 21:10 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In the frameworks of its 4-day official visit to
Korea, Armenia’s parliamentary delegation headed by Speaker Hovik
Abrahamyan Thursday met with Korean Parliament Speaker Kim Hyong-O.

During the meeting, Mr. Abrahamyan conveyed to his Korean counterpart
invitation on paying official visit Armenia.

By the end of the meeting, Armenian and Korean officials signed
memorandum of understanding on strengthening cooperation and friendly
ties between their countries, RA NA press service reports.

CAUCASUS RAILWAYS CEO SHEVKET SHAIDULIN TRAVELS TO SHIRAK PROVINCE

ARKA
Dec 2, 2009

YEREVAN, December 2, /ARKA/. South Caucasus Railways CEO Shevket
Shaidulin traveled today to the northwestern province of Shirak for
talks with mayor of Gyumri (administrative center of the province)
Vartan Ghukasian and provincial governor Lida Nanian.

The press service of the company said during the talks the sides
discussed social nature issues and safe operation of the railways,
including illegal level crossings which pose serious threat to people’s
lives. Shevket Shaydulin drew the local authorities’ attention to
the fact that many families still reside in dwellings and structures
owned by the South Caucasus railways company. He said the concessional
agreement with the Armenian government does not stipulate it. The
press service said in a press release that the sides agreed to settle
this problem step by step.

Shevket Shaidulin and governor Lida Nanian traveled also to Akhurian
railway station on the border with Turkey. The governor said she was
pleased with the quality and speed of repair work on that section of
the railway.

In 2007 the Armenian government called tenders for a 30-year concession
to modernize and operate Armenian Railways. The Russian Railways was
the only bidder and has set up South Caucasian Railway as a subsidiary
to run the Armenian Railway. The concession agreement was concluded
for 30 years, with a right of extension for another 20 years after
the first 20 years of operation.

FOR CHILDREN’S HEALTHY FUTURE
Hasmik Harutyunyan

AZG DAILY
02-12-2009

Heathy life

World Children’s Transplant Fund was founded in 1988 when former
Los Angeles Police Department Deputy Chief Mark Kroeker, moved by
the story of an Argentine child Veronica dying of liver disease,
started fundraising efforts for a life-saving liver transplant. The
child was flown to Toronto, where after three operations, she died.

Mr. Kroeker then launched WCTF, and made its mission to establish
Transplant centers in regions around the world where they were most
needed. The WCTF has established two pediatric organ transplant
centers in Costa Rica and Argentina, and in 2001 the Armenia branch
of WCTF opened.

The foremost problem was the passing of a respective law that would
legalize surgeries and transplantation operations. The draft law
was introduced to the Parliament and finally the first ever Law on
Transplantation was passed in March of 2002.

"When in 2002 the Vice Chairman of the WCTF Board Tom Hennings,
Country Supervisor Valerie McCaffrey and Board Member Bill Mauger
visited Armenia I was very touched to see how generous it was
of them to cross the ocean, give their time voluntarily just for
helping Armenian children to have a healthy life. I am so proud to
be acquainted with these wonderful people", said Executive Director
of the Armenian branch of the World Children’s Transplant Fund Maria
Yeganian in her interview to the "Azg" newspaper.

"Besides, it is essential to change our nation’s mindset about this
complex issue. Each of us must realize that everybody can have input
in the pursuit of saving someone else’s life. This simple truth
must become natural for us in order to have certain achievements in
this area".

The Armenian branch has organized many conferences and interviews
with the purpose of educating people regarding the issue. Besides,
two concerts entitled "The Armenian Stars for Children" have been
organized and with the help of the funds received from the concerts
two children underwent surgery for eye transplants. Today the main
goal of the fund is to retrain Armenian doctors in transplantation
field and to increase the level of their professional competence.

This project will continue and two doctors will soon be sent to Los
Angeles for participation in the 6-months training course.

There is no special hospital for transplantation in Armenia, the
country is not a member of the International Donor Bank and there
are also some deficiencies in the legal field. The project should
also receive some state support in order to create a solid pediatric
transplant organ Center. The World Children’s Transplant Fund is a
unique and special organization. Its mission is to provide as many
opportunities as possible for life-saving pediatric transplant surgery
to the children of the world.

Aysor, Armenia
Nov 28 2009

A. Geghamyan: the congress time `is fatal’

At this moment in the Sport-Complex of K. Demirchyan goes on the 12th
Congress of the RPA.

On the Congress made a speech also the head of the `National Unity’
party Artashes Geghamyan and called the time selected for the Congress
fatal as he believes Armenia is in a fatal period due to its unique
policy.

`Armenia has never been in the center of attention of the entire
society as before that if it has been mentioned it has been remembered
for its dramatic events that took place at the beginning of the
previous century.

As the Aysor.am reporter informs, A. Geghamyan has told that his party
on the last presidential elections stood with Serzh Sargsyan
consciously.

`We should think not about what should be expected from the RPA but
what we can give to the Armenian Republic’, – mentioned A. Geghamyan.

A. Geghamyan also wished that the RA First President Levon
Ter-Petrosyan and the second President Robert Kocharyan were
alsopresent on that congress.

`We would appear as a unique force in front of the whole world’, –
summed up the `NU’ party leader.

YSU to host exhibition dedicated to Berlin Wall fall 20th anniversary
28.11.2009 15:32 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On November 30, Yerevan State University (YSU) will
host an exhibition dedicated to Berlin Wall fall 20th anniversary.

The exhibition, organized by German Embassy in Armenia in
collaboration with YSU, will present 20 posters featuring numerous
photos on the fall of Berlin Wall.

Exhibition opening will be attended by German Ambassador to Armenia,
Hans-Jochen Schmidt and Deputy Foreign Minister, Karine Kazinyan.

Following the exhibition, representatives of French, UK, Russian and
US Embassies in RA will hold a discussion on the role of each country
in Berlin Wall fall.