Author: Maghakian Mike

ACCORDING TO DPA CHAIRMAN, PROPOSAL TO HOLD PLEBISCITE IN KARABAKH IS
INADMISSIBLE

YEREVAN, MAY 7, NOYAN TAPAN. The 20th anniversary of Artsakh liberation
struggle is marked this year and we should give a meaning to our past
way. Aram Sargsian, the Chairman of the Democratic Party of Armenia,
stating this at the May 7 press conference, said that it is time that
the Armenian side take decisive steps in the issue of Nagorno Karabakh
settlement and present the principles, which are acceptable for Armenia
and NKR.

According to him, first of all Armenia is obliged to recognize the
process of NKR’s legal independence from Azerbaijan. And the
principles, which are currently discussed within the framework of the
negotiations of problem’s settlement, as the DPA Chairman evaluated,
are not beneficial for the Armenian side. In his words, in particular,
the proposal to hold a plebiscite in NKR is inadmissible. "By this we
reduce to zero the whole way Artsakh passed in 1988-1991, when the
Nagorno Karabakh republic was proclaimed. Therefore, we admit that they
were actions not meeting legal international norms," A. Sargsian said
adding that these actions correspond to norms of international law. And
Azerbaijan, in his words, in that case will demand that the Azeris, who
lived in Karabakh until 1988 return there. "Their offsprings wil also
return with them. Do you imagine how big their number will be?," A.
Sargsian said.

Tigran Sargsyan receives congratulation from the Prime Minister of
Vietnam

armradio.am
05.05.2008 13:33

The Prime Minister of the Socialistic Republic of Vietnam Nguyễn Tấn
DÅ©ng congratulated PM Tigran Sargsyan on behalf of the Government of
the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and himself. He noted in the
congratulatory message:

`I’m deeply assured that the traditional friendly and cooperative
relations between Vietnam and Armenia will further reinforce and
development for the benefit of the two peoples, peace in every country
and region, stability and development.

I wish you, dear Prime Minister, robust health, happiness and great
success in your high mission.’

PEOPLES’ FRIENDSHIP UNIVERSITY OF RUSSIA PREVENTS CLASH BETWEEN ARMENIAN AND AZERBAIJANI STUDENTS

Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
May 2 2008

Russia, Moscow, 2 May / Trend News .corr.R.Agaev / The Peoples’
Friendship Festival ‘Planet of South and West’, which is usually
held in the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (PFUR) on 1 May,
was cancelled due to a possible mass clash between the Armenian and
Azerbaijani students, a student from PFUR reported to TrendNews.

According to the student, the reason for the clash was caused by
an Azerbaijani song being produced by an Armenian music band on the
stage of the University. The band introduced the song as belonging to
the Armenians. Azerbaijani students, who were seated near the stage,
immediately retaliated and took the Azerbaijani and Turkish flags and
began condemning the Armenians for stealing the national and cultural
values of the Azerbaijani nation.

The Armenians responded with abusive words against the Azerbaijanis
and plastic bottles were thrown at the Azerbaijani students. Later,
in order to prevent any further provocation, the human rights activists
attempted to disperse the Azerbaijani and Armenian students.

One of the black students came onto the stage and called for the
Armenian and Azerbaijani students to convey friendship and mutual
understanding towards each other. The PFUR Rector office representative
also called for the Armenians and Azerbaijanis to restore order and
to continue the ceremony. However, despite this the Armenian and
Azerbaijani students continued to clash which was finally broken up
after police interference.

Members of the law enforcement and emergency situations prevented
a further clash by escorting the Armenian students to the Belayevo
metro station nearby and the Azerbaijani students were sent in a
different direction.

In 2007, during the same holiday, Azerbaijani sportsman, Agali Alishev,
was amongst the participants and was injured during a similar clash
which took place between the Armenian and Azerbaijani students.

According to a witness, there were about 500 Armenians and they were
attempting to be provocative. There were only 100 or 150 Azerbaijani
students. According to an Azerbaijani student, the Armenians constantly
attempt similar provocations against Azerbaijanis and then attempt
to present themselves as the victims.

"We call upon the Russian departments to put an end to similar unfair
action by Armenians, which is directed to arouse international
hostility in Russia. We, as Azerbaijani citizens are prepared to
liberate the Azerbaijani occupied territories by the Armenians and
we will never permit Armenians to offend the national cultural values
of Azerbaijan," the Azerbaijani student stated.

One of the Armenian student stated that he witnessed the detention of
four Armenian students by the Russian police. However, no information
of the arrested was publicized.

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
May 2 2008

SYMPOSIUM ON SUBJECT `’20TH ANNIVERSARY OF KARABAKH MOVEMENT:
REALITIES AND PERSPECTIVES” TO BE HELD IN KARABAKH LATE MAY

YEREVAN, 02.05.08. DE FACTO. International Symposium on the subject
`’20th Anniversary of Karabakh Movement: Realities and Perspectives”
will be held in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic in last decade of
current May.
A current sitting of the working group for the preparation of
symposium presided over by the Co-Chair of the State Committee for
organization and coordination of festivities devoted to the 20th
anniversary of the Karabakh movement, NKR Parliament Speaker Ashot
Gulian was held today.
The sitting’s participants discussed the course of preparatory works
and agenda of the symposium, fixed the number of its participants and
verified a number of organizational issues referring, in part, to
holding plenary and subject sittings.

HEAD OF FRENCH BANKING GROUP CONGRATULATES ARMENIAN PREMIER

ARKA
April 29, 2008

YEREVAN, April 29. /ARKA/. The President of Credit Agricole French
banking group Rene Caron congratulated Tigran Sargsian on his
appointment as premier of the country.

Tigran Sargsian, previously the president of the Central Bank of
Armenia, was appointed as Premier of Armenia on April 9.

Caron stressed the group had the opportunity to see professional skills
of Sargsian, his ability to listen to people. During Sargsian’s tenure,
the Central Bank and Armenia’s banking system achieved great progress,
Caron said.

According to him, Armenian Premier is well aware of the role of Credit
Agricole in establishment and development of Armenian ACBA-Credit
Agricole Bank.

Caron conveyed his best wishes to the new premier.

The ACBA-Credit Agricole Bank CJSC (formerly the Agricultural
Cooperative Bank of Armenia) was established in 1995 and obtained a
full banking license on March 29, 1996. The bank was founded within
the framework of TACIS project of European Union and was based on
the organization structure of European co-operative banks.

In 2006 Credit Agricole S.A., France, made an investment in ACBA’s
capital and the Bank was renamed and reorganised into ACBA-Credit
Agricole Bank. At present Credit Agricole S.A. is the main
shareholder holding 28% of shares (with the remaining stock owned by
10 Agricultural Cooperative Regional Unions).

THE SUPREMACIES OF THE GOVERNMENT PROGRAM

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on April 29, 2008
Armenia

The new program of the executive has been confirmed during the
extraordinary government session yesterday. Today the latter will be
sent to the NA.

Five key supremacies have been advanced in the program.

Ensuring sustainable development by means of National Security and
active economic policy is the main supremacy of the government.

The second supremacy will be the formation of an effective state
system, local self-government, and private sector, the establishment
of the culture of corporative governance.

The third supremacy is the development of education and science,
thus confronting challenges of the 21st century.

The fourth supremacy is the proportional territorial development,
which presumes unloading Yerevan: the capital city is overloaded with
cultural, health, industrial, state governance, justice and financial,
functions.

The fifth supremacy is to ensure broad social target programs, with
the participation of the private sector, which will also improve the
moral–psychological atmosphere.

NEW ARMENIAN CABINET UNVEILS STRATEGY
by Natalia Leshchenko

Global Insight
April 29, 2008

The Armenian parliament is discussing today the five-year
development strategy proposed by the newly formed government of
Tigran Sarkisian. The programme pledges the strengthening the rule
of law, improving the business environment and implementing other
"second-generation" reforms. Economy Minister Nerses Yeritsian said
that the programme aims to sustain Armenia’s economic growth by
guaranteeing fair business competition and taking other measures to
improve the overall investment climate. The main locus of such reforms,
the Prime Minister pointed out, will be the improvement of the work of
the tax and customs agencies that are still often accused of arbitrary
action. The parliament is highly likely to pass the strategy since it
is worked out with the representatives of all parliamentary factions,
and the government controls the parliament to a nearly full extent.

Significance:The governmental programme is a predictable continuation
of the policies of President Serzh Sargsyan, who had stepped into
the position from having been prime minister. Anti-corruption
reforms are much needed, as well as the streamlining of the fiscal
and customs policies implementation. The governmental commitment to
the declared goals of improving the investment climate, however, will
need to be verified by action, as corruption will be hard to root out
given its strong penetration into the administrative bodies of the
country. Finding social peace will also be a major task, after the
bloody crack-down on post-election protests this March. The programme
put forward to the parliament by Armenian government has all the right
words in it–the question is whether the government will prove able
to sing to its own hymn sheet.

FIRST INTERNATIONAL SPECIALISED EXHIBITION IN YEREVAN

Panorama.am
16:30 29/04/2008

In 2-4 May "Finance, loans, insurance and audit EXPO 2008" project will
take place in Yerevan. According to the organizers, the exhibition is
supported by the Ministry of Economy, Central Bank, Armenian Agency
of Development, Bank Unity Armenia and Industrial and Business Unity.

The mission of the exhibition is to gather those companies which work
in financial activities service and create a large scale of audience
which is informed, to present bank investment aspect, hypothec,
and insurance and audit methods.

More than 25 companies take part in the exhibition which has their
own advanced place in the market. The exhibition will take place in
"Moscow House" cultural business center.

ARMENIA IS ENVISAGED TO TAKE PART IN FIRST INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS TOURISM EXHIBITION

Noyan Tapan
April 29, 2008

YEREVAN, APRIL 29, NOYAN TAPAN. The first international exhibition of
religious tourism will be held in the city of Orlando (Florida, the
U.S.) on October 29 – November 1, 2008. It is envisaged that Armenia
will participate in this exhibition, NT correspondent was informed by
Alan Saffery, chief expert of the USAID-financed Competitive Armenian
Private Sector (CAPS) Program.

In his words, the program intends to provide assistance to state
bodies on management of Armenia’s tourism sector in order to ensure
the country’s participation in the indicated exhibition. "This will
allow to decide whether it is worth promoting Armenian religious
tourism product at that exhibition," A. Saffery said.

He advised to be careful not to diversify too quickly the range of
Armenian tour packages. Armenia is currently perceived in international
tourism market as a country of religious and historicial-cultural
tourism, having quite strong positions in this sector of the market. In
the opinion of A. Saffery, if Armenia starts offering too wide a range
of tour packages, its perception as a religious and historical-cultural
country will decline. As he put it, it is hard for a foreign tourist
to imagine that "small Armenia can offer tourist goods of all
kinds". He said that it will be beneficial if Armenian religious and
historical-cultural tour packages combine with other types of tourism.

According to Nadia Pasqual, CAPS travel marketing and communication
advisor, work is already underway to diversify the range of tour
packages for those traveling from Italy to Armenia. Previously Italian
tour operators promoted Armenian tour production as religious tourism,
whereas now its historical-cultural direction is stressed as well.

N. Pasqual said that Armenian tour operators are now doing work to
organize travels for tourists who take interest in such types of
tourism as mountaineering, mountain walks, cycling, adventure, rural
tourism and ecotourism, as there is demand for such tours. Promotion of
such packages will result in development of infrastructures along these
routes. According to N. Pasqual, Armenian tour operators have already
made investments in creation of the appropriate infrastructures,
purchase of equipment and training of special tour guides.

IT IS NOT LATE

A1+
[08:12 pm] 28 April, 2008

Leader of the "Zharangutiun" (Heritage) faction Raffi Hovannissian
is confident that a lot will change in the country by June, at least
the conflicting sides will starts a dialogue.

"Still then I urged Prime Minister Serzh Sarkissian and first President
Levon Ter-Petrossian to seize the opportunity of a dialogue. Obviously,
they both set preconditions. Provided they were met, the sides would
start a diolgue," he says.

In reply to our question whether the preconditioned could still be
surmounted, Mr. Hovannissian said, "I think so. We must face the
reality. All proofs must be adduced by June."

Asked whether it is not a bit late as people’s efforts to restore
justice and to shape legitimate authorities seem already in vain,
the "Zharangutiun" leader said briefly, "No it isn’t."