Author: Nahapetian Samvel

Mkhitaryan worthy of a higher callingFriday 22 May 2009
by Khachik Chakhoyan from Yerevan

FC Pyunik coach Vardan Minasyan has admitted that he would love to see
his star player Henrikh Mkhitaryan "playing in a stronger league"
after the 20-year-old started the Armenian season with nine goals in
eight league games.
Star billing
With his late father Hamlet Mkhitaryan – not to be confused with the
current Armenian international midfielder of the same name – already
recognised as one of Pyunik’s star players of the late-Soviet era,
young Henrikh is well on his way to becoming a legend in his own
right, with coach Minasyan telling uefa.com: "He can win games on his
own. He seizes control at the crucial moment and scores for fun."
Cracking start
Scorer of the winning goal in the recent Armenian Cup final,
Mkhitaryan has also scored nine of his side’s 21 league goals to date,
with Pyunik making a suitably emphatic unbeaten start to their bid for
a ninth successive local title. "He has made a huge step forward,"
said Minasyan. "However, I would like to see him playing in a stronger
league. That would help him and the national team as well."
Arsenal fan
Mkhitaryan for his own part is dreaming of the English Premier
League. "My favourite team is Arsenal," said the attack-minded
midfielder, who has played ten games for Armenia, scoring once. "I
like their attacking play and fast style. Moreover, Arsène Wenger
puts faith in young players while demanding results at the same
time. I like that and want to play there one day."
Inspiring examples
Making that dream a reality may demand better performances on the
biggest stage, with Pyunik yet to progress beyond the second
qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League. Mkhitaryan remains
hopeful. "BATE Borisov and Anorthosis Famagusta showed we shouldn’t be
afraid of the big teams," he said. "If we can’t reach the Champions
League group stage I really hope we can play in the Europa League."
‘Almost perfect’
In the meantime, Mkhitaryan is busy with domestic matters, where he
insists things are tougher than they look. "We are top but it is no
pushover – we have worked hard. Everyone is at their best against
the champions." Tougher games, though, can only improve him, as
Minasyan said: "He is almost perfect. All he needs is confidence, but
he has the time and skills to work on that."

TEN DAYS BEFORE THE ELDERS ELECTION …

armradio.am
22.05.2009 17:00

The Press Club has invited the elder-candidates, six from parties
and one from a union representative of a ruling Republican Party Of
Armenia, speaking of the forthcoming elections to the Elders’ Council
of Yerevan, particularly mentioned that local elections are at the
core of democracy, and pre-election campaign started in Yerevan move
at the regular pace.

According to RPA representative, transfer to a new system of city
administration elections should be very smooth. He also believes that
pre-election promises must be based on truly realizable programs. "Our
population will give votes to the candidate, who will give the most
realistic promises, and who is experienced in urban management. Our
promises should have real ground," stressed Hovhannisyan.

ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER: ARMENIA’S OFFICIAL POSITION REGARDING NORMALIZATION OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS CANNOT CHANGE

ArmInfo
2009-05-20 18:25:00

ArmInfo. "Armenia’s official position regarding normalization of
Armenian-Turkish relations cannot change",- Armenian Prime Minister
Tigran Sargsyan said in Armenian parliament when replying to Head
of ARF Dashnaksutyun Party faction Vahan Hovhannisyan’s question,
Wednesday.

According to the prime minister, the relations with Turkey may be
established only without any preconditions. Sargsyan stressed that
any agreement, which will become a basis for establishing diplomatic
relations between the two countries or opening of the border, should
be ratified by the Armenian parliament. "Armenia’s position should
be pro-active",- Sargsyan said and added that Armenia can never
forget the fact of the Armenian Genocide. The prime minister added
that the process of international recognition of Armenian Genocide
should continue in the full scale. As regards the specific term of
normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations, he said: "Certainly,
we cannot delay this term endlessly. The football match to take place
in Turkey in autumn 2009 is the moment which specifies the relations
between the two countries".

BERNARD FASSIER: TURKEY-ARMENIA TALKS AND NAGORNO-KARABAKH PROCESS AS PARALLEL LINES THAT NEVER CROSS

armradio.am
20.05.2009 15:08

The Turkey-Armenia track has no link to the Nagorno-Karabakh talks,
according to the French Co-Chair of the OSCE, Minsk Group.

"We consider the Turkey-Armenia talks and Nagorno-Karabakh process as
parallel lines, and according to Euclidian geometry, parallel lines
never cross. But, there are interactions. The historic reconciliation
between Turkey and Armenia could affect the environment positively
but not Nagorno-Karabakh talks," Bernard Fassier said at a luncheon
with a limited group of journalists in Turkey, the Hurriyet Daily
News reported.

Fassier, on the eve of a crucial meeting between Armenian and
Azerbaijani leaders early next month in St. Petersburg, visited Ankara
as a last stop of a regional tour that included Yerevan and Baku. He
held meetings at the Foreign Ministry just a week after Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would not open its border with
Armenia unless Yerevan ends its occupation on Azerbaijani territory.

"An unfortunate mix of these talks might only make things more
difficult," Fassier said. According to Turkish sources, Fassier asked
Turkey not to link these two issues, especially at a time when the
international community has increased its pressure on the parties to
compromise for a solution.

"We are not trying to reach for the moon, but20to solve what is
possible to solve today," he said, adding that the Minsk Group
has so far proposed to establish an interim situation that would
not constitute casus belli (justification for acts of war) for any
of the countries. The further stages and the final status of the
Nagorno-Karabakh would be reasonably settled afterward.

MP HAKOB HAKOBYAN FALLS ILL DURING TRIAL, TRANSFERRED TO HOSPITAL
Ararat Davtyan

2009/ 05/19 | 18:52
court important

The trial of National Assembly Deputy Hakob Hakobyan got underway
today after a delay. 18 year-old witness Gevorg Mouradyan, a witness
in the case, was late in getting to the court.

It should be noted that the witness refuted all previous testimony
he had given the court, stating that he had been beaten during the
interrogation.

Defendant Hakobyan demanded that all the police be removed from the
court, arguing that, "Fifteen police beat that boy and now they want
him to testify against me." The judge warned the defendant not to
make such irresponsible statements.

The court then continued yesterday’s questioning of Gevorg Mouradyan
at which time Mr. Hakobyan said he hasn’t feeling well and requested
that he be permitted to leave the courtroom for a few minutes. His
two requests were denied. Mr. Hakobyan then proceeded to curse those
pulling the strings behind the trial and the judge had him removed
and prohibited him from attending the next two trial sessions.

When the judge asked the witness why he waited five months to refute
his prior testimony and whether he didn’t feel ashamed to falsely
accuse another individual, Gevorg Mouradyan responded, "If I expressed
any pangs of conscience, they would have dragged me back in and beat
me again."

About half way in to the session, Mr. Hakobyan’s lawyer, Melanya
Aroustamyan, said that her client was feeling uneasy and asked the
judge to call an ambulance. Judge Avetisyan then made arrangements
for Mr. Hakobyan to be transferred to a hospital.

AMERIABANK PLANS TO IMPLEMENT AUTOMATIC MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
18.05.2009 17:37 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Ameriabank CJSC, having received ISO 9001:2008
International Quality Management Certificate, launched implementation
works for automatic management system, Ameriabank Press Service
Reported.

Over 70 business processes, permanently controlled, changed and
perfected are currently active in Ameriabank.

To increase the effectiveness of works implemented and familiarize
himself with international practice, Ameriabank expert in charge of
quality management studied ARIS, AllFusion (BPwin), Dialog Strategy
(Corporate Express), Business Studio programs abroad. One of the
programs will soon be implemented in the bank to provide effective
automatic business processes management.

Ameriabank CJSC is an investment bank, which offers corporate and
limited number of individual banking services, by providing with a
complete package of banking solutions. Troika Dialog Group, one of
the largest Russian investment banking companies, is the strategic
partner of Ameriabank.

ICG: ANKARA’S BEST CHANCE OF BRINGING A NEW POSITIVE MOMENTUM TO NKR CONFLICT IS BY NORMALIZING TIES WITH ARMENIA

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
18.05.2009 21:26 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Regarding Nagorno-Karabakh, the best that can be
expected any time this year is agreement on the basic principles,
and the mediators sound optimistic about a possible breakthrough,"
Europe Program Director of the International Crisis Group Sabine
Freizer said commenting on the settlement of the conflict, APA reports.

"Another meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents is expected
in Saint Petersburg around 4-6 June. But there is a long-running
stalemate over several issues, including the modalities of a plan to
hold a referendum to determine Nagorno-Karabakh’s final status and the
status and size of a possible corridor linking Nagorno-Karabakh with
Armenia in the Lachin district. Once an agreement on basic principles
is signed, lengthy and difficult talks await the sides to reach a
comprehensive settlement leading to the start of actual withdrawals,"
she said.

Sabine Freizer underlines that Turkey plays an important role in
the region, particularly in the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict.

"There is no doubt that progress on resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict would enhance Turkey’s ability to normalize relations with
Armenia and stability in the South Caucasus. But Ankara’s best chance
of bringing a new positive momentum to the process is precisely by
normalizing with Armenia," she said.

Sabine Freizer says that optimism about the normalization of
Turkey-Armenia bilateral relations, so prevalent on 22 April when
the two countries announced that they had agreed on a comprehensive
framework for reconciliation, has suddenly faded. "Normalization
would include opening of the Turkey-Armenia border, establishing
diplomatic relations, and setting up of bilateral commissions to deal
with multiple issues, including the historical dimension of their
relations. It first seemed that these steps could be accomplished by
autumn 2009. Now they may be delayed for years. With his statement
Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan put a brake on the reconciliation
effort when in Baku on 13 May."

SERZH SARGSYAN REAFFIRMS THAT ANY PRECONDITION IN NORMALIZATION OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS IS JUST EXCLUDED

Noyan Tapan
May 18, 2009

YEREVAN, MAY 18, NOYAN TAPAN. On May 18, RA President Serzh Sargsyan
had a private talk with RF Vice-Prime Minister Sergey Ivanov, who is
in Yerevan on a working visit. The sides recorded with satisfaction
the current high level of the two countries’ strategic relations
and political dialogue, the best evidence of which is cooperation
developing in various spheres, new initiatives and programs being
implemented.

S. Sargsyan and S. Ivanov highly assessed the dynamics of development
of trade and economic contacts between the partner countries and
high level of cooperation in the humanitarian sphere. Issues related
to cooperation in various economic spheres, including transport,
telecommunication, energy, and other spheres were also discussed
during the conversation.

According to the RA President’s Press Office, speaking about the
Nagorno Karabakh settlement process, the interlocutors exchanged
thoughts over various issues of regional and international agenda.

S. Sargsyan reiterated that any precondition in normalization
of Armenian-Turkish relations is just excluded and reaffirmed
Armenia’s readiness to normalize relations with Turkey without
preconditions, within the framework of reached agreements and in
time contraints. S. Sargsyan also emphasized that any attempts of
intervening into the Nagorno Karabakh settlement process by Turkey can
only have a negative impact on the problem’s settlement negotiations
process.

The National, UAE
May 17 2009

UAE chasing clues from trafficking trial

Loveday Morris
Last Updated: May 16. 2009 11:51PM UAE / May 16. 2009 7:51PM GMT ABU

DHABI // UAE authorities have vowed to follow up any leads that came
to light during the trial of three sisters convicted in Armenia of
sending hundreds of women to Dubai to work in the sex trade.

Anoush Martirosyan, 40, led the trafficking ring that for years lured
Armenian women to the Emirates, often with the promise of tax-free
jobs as waitresses and nannies, before forcing them to work as
prostitutes. She was sentenced to 13 years in prison on April 20. Her
sisters Sofya Martirosyan and Sonya Gabrielyan were given five- and
one-year terms, respectively.

But more members of the ring, including a sinister figure in Dubai
referred to by the girls as `Ponytail Ali’, were mentioned frequently
during testimony.

Dr Saeed al Ghufli, rapporteur for the UAE National Committee to
Combat Human Trafficking, said authorities would investigate any
information from Armenian authorities.

`Of course if any names are given in evidence and are passed on to the
UAE, the authorities will try to follow up that information and
investigate,’ he said, adding that he welcomed the conviction.

Lt Col Abdul Raheem bin Shafee, head of the organised crime division
of the Dubai Police, said authorities were doing everything they could
to fight human trafficking. But he declined to comment directly on the
details of the Armenian case.

RUSSIA TO HELP ARMENIA LIQUIDATE CHEMICAL PLANT EMERGENCY EFFECTS

Manufacturing Business Technology
May 15 2009

Russia is ready to provide assistance to Armenia in the elimination
of the aftermath of an emergency at the Yerevan Chemical Plant, RF
Vice Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said at a meeting with Armenian
Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan on Friday.

Ivanov expressed deep condolences in connection with the tragedy that
occurred at the chemical plant. "If you need our help or support we
are ready to provide it," he said.

On Thursday, 4 people died and 8 were injured in an explosion at the
chloroprene production unit of the Yerevan Chemical Plant NAIRIT.

Touching upon the bilateral relations the RF deputy prime minister
noted that they "are developing in all directions: in the transport,
communications, high technologies and space exploration spheres." "Our
relations are multifaceted and deep," Ivanov stressed.

NAIRIT Plant CJSC is one of the leading chemical enterprises in the
Republic of Armenia that specialises in chloroprene rubbers and latexes
production. Since 1940 the enterprise has been producing chloroprene
rubber under NAIRIT trade – name and at present it is well-known on
the world market.

Along with polychloroprene production the company has capacities
for the production of various chemical products: carboxylic acids,
caustic soda, sodium hypochlorite, carbinol syrup, lacquer- ethynol
etc. Due to the variety of produced polychlroprene grades NAIRIT CJSC
is the partner of different enterprises in industrial rubber goods,
cable, light and other industries in many countries over the world.

In 2005 NAIRIT Plant manufactured 7,676 tonnes of rubber and 6,000
tonnes of caustic sodium. Plant director Ruben Saghatelian said the
plant sold its products last year to Italy, Poland, Iran, Span and
some of CIS countries.