Author: Nahapetian Zhanna

ARMENIA PM TO PAY A WORKING VISIT TO RUSSIA

armradio.am
26.02.2009 17:16

On February 27 Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan will leave for Moscow
for a one-day working visit. The delegation headed by the Prime
Minister comprises RA Minister of Finance Tigran Davtyan, Minister of
Energy and Natural Resources Armen Movsisyan, Minister of Transport
and Communication Gurgen Sargsyan, Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh
Kocharyan, Head of Government’s Staff David Sargsyan, Vice-President
of the Central Bank of Armenia Vache Gabrielyan, officials of RA
Government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

During the working visit Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan will have
a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, the Minister
of Transport, Co-Chair of the Armenian-Russian Intergovernmental
Commission on Economic Cooperation Igor Levitin, President of the
Central Bank of Russia Sergey Ignatev, representatives of business
circles. Tigran Sargsyan will also visit the Armenian Embassy in
Russia.

During the meetings reference will be made to the process of
accomplishment of the agreements reached at the 10th sitting of
the Intergovernmental Commission. Reference will be made to issues
of reinforcement of trade-economic ties, expansion of the mutually
beneficial and promising cooperation in a number of spheres, etc.

IS MUTUAL RESTRIANT THAT IMPORTANT?

A1+
[06:25 pm] 25 February, 2009

President Serzh Sargsyan today received the Georgian delegation headed
by the President of Parliament of Georgia, David Bakradze.

Serzh Sargsyan and David Bakradze emphasised the current high level
of interstate relations between the two countries, the historic close
ties and friendship between the Armenian and Georgian peoples.

Attaching importance to intensive contacts on different levels,
President Sargsyan underlined the exceptional importance of cooperation
and noted that such visits greatly contribute to further deepening
of friendship.

The interlocutors turned to the process of implementation of
the agreements reached during Serzh Sargsyan’s official visit to
Georgia. The parties stressed that the accomplishment of the programs
in the direction of transport communication, simplification of the
crossing of the state border will enhance the further development of
Armenian-Georgian economic relations.

Underlining that there are no problems between Armenia and Georgia that
cannot be solved through joint discussions and dialogue, the parties
noted the necessity of balanced approaches and mutual restriant on
both sides.

The Armenian President and the Georgian Parliament Speaker exchanged
views on the possible ways of cooperation within the framework of the
EU Eastern Partnership Initiative, the anti-crisis measures taken by
the two countries, reports President’s press service.

Note that a protest action was held near the Georgian Embassy in
Yerevan against anti-Armenian policy.

TURKISH PM TO CONVEY IRAN’S MEDIATION REQUEST TO OBAMA IN APRIL

Hurriyet
Feb 25 2009
Turkey

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said in an interview published Tuesday
that Iran has asked Turkey to help it resolve its decades-long dispute
with the United States. Erdogan said he would pass the message to
U.S. President Barack Obama at a G20 summit in April.

The Iranian request had been made when former president George W. Bush
was in office, Erdogan told The Guardian aboard the prime ministerial
plane during a local election campaign trip to the southeastern
province of Mardin.

The Turkish prime minister said he had passed along the details of
Tehran’s message to Washington at the time.

Erdogan added he was considering raising the matter with Obama, who has
said he wants to engage with Iran at the G20 summit in London in April.

"Iran does want Turkey to play such a role. And if the United States
also wants and asks us to play this role, we are ready to do this. They
(the Iranians) said to us that if something like this (an opportunity
for rapprochement) would happen, they want Turkey to play a role,"
Erdogan said when asked if Turkey could play a mediating role in
overcoming the mistrust between Washington and Tehran.

"These were words that were said openly. But I have told this to
President Bush myself," he added.

Erdogan said in November Turkey could play a positive role if it were
to act as a mediator in the stalled negotiations with Iran over its
disputed nuclear program.

Washington has previously reacted skeptically to Turkish proposals to
mediate with Tehran. However, the idea may be given fresh consideration
by the Obama administration, which has set up a sweeping policy review
policy after the president promised to reach out if Iran "unclenched
its fist", The Guardian wrote.

CRITICISM OVER ISRAEL

Erdogan also renewed his criticism of Israel’s recent offensive in
Gaza and challenged the Israeli prime minister-designate, Binyamin
Netanyahu, to recognize Palestinians’ right to have their own state.

"We are always telling them (Hamas) to act differently, that we
are for a two-state solution: Palestine and Israel," he told the
newspaper. "They have to accept this, but Israel also has to accept
Palestine," he added.

"Is Israel right now accepting Palestine? They are still not accepting
them. But it is being expected of the Palestinian people to accept
Israel. Now go and ask Mr. Netanyahu if he is accepting Palestine,"
Erdogan said.

The Turkish prime minister said an Israeli-Palestinian settlement
had to include Hamas, which he called the party of "change and reform".

He also condemned Israel’s recent onslaught as disproportionate. "Hamas
doesn’t have any planes. Hamas doesn’t have any tanks or artillery,
and with the use of disproportionate force Gaza was being put under
fire," he said.

"One thousand, one hundred and 30 people have died. We have more than
5,500 injured. Who is going to ask: what has happened here and who
is going to pay the price for this?" he said.

ARMENIA RESOLUTION

Erdogan also said he did not believe that the U.S. pro-Israel lobby
would retaliate by lifting its opposition to a congressional resolution
recognizing the Armenian "genocide" claims.

During last year’s election campaign, Obama had pledged to recognize
the Armenian claims.

"I believe the United States feels and knows the importance of
Turkey within the region more than some people who do not understand
this. The so-called Armenian genocide is not an issue that can affect
Turkey-American relations in a very strong way. I don’t believe the
U.S. Congress would take a decision based on emotions. It should be
left to historians," Erdogan told The Guardian.

DAY.AZ AND TODAY.AZ PROJECTS SOLD

ArmInfo
2009-02-25 14:00:00

ArmInfo. Day.az and Today.az projects have been sold, former
editor-in-chief of the projects Elnur Baimov told APA.

Baimov said he was unaware of the details, as the founder was engaged
in selling the project. Elnur Baimov added that he would work together
with the new founder of the project. It is not yet known whether the
staff will remain in the project or not.

To recall, Day.az and Today.az projects stopped their work on
February 18.

Information was posted on the websites that the project ended, but
later it was said that the projects would start on February 25. Today,
it was said that the project had been sold. The founder of the website
Anar Mammadkhanov said the portal had been closed because of technical
problems.

TWO SCHOLARSHIPS ANNOUNCED

Gibrahayer
Feb 24, 2009
Nicosia

Kalaydjian Foundation Committee Announcement dated 17th February 2009 –
The Kalaydjian Foundation is pleased to announce the start of two new
programmes aimed at providing support for education at both secondary
and advanced levels.

As part of its efforts to provide targeted support in the present
difficult economic climate, the Kalaydjian Foundation has decided to
provide an annual grant to all Cypriot students who are graduates
of Nareg elementary schools and are currently enrolled or will be
enrolled in private secondary schools in Cyprus. This assistance,
up to â~B¬400 per child, will be provided to all eligible applicants
irrespective of their family’s income level, starting from the academic
year 2009-2010. Families who would be interested in receiving this
grant should submit an application to Mr. Hagop Kasparian by September
30th at the latest. Mr. Kasparian can be contacted on 22-429306.

The Foundation’s second programme is a scholarship that will provide
free post-graduate education to gifted Armenian Cypriot students.

The primary aim of this programme is to allow talented students,
who would otherwise not have the chance to continue their education,
the opportunity to receive a Master’s degree and therefore enhance
significantly their career prospects. To that end, the Kalaydjian
Foundation has signed a collaboration agreement=2 0with the American
University of Armenia in Yerevan.

The Kalaydjian Foundation aims to send one Armenian Cypriot student
every year to the AUA for higher education, starting from the
academic year 2010-2011. It will provide a full scholarship that
will cover the entire cost of tuition. It will also offer advice and
assistance on other issues, such as accommodation in Yerevan. The
deadline for applications is 31st March 2010. The admission criteria
are stringent and include an undergraduate degree from a recognised
university or college in Cyprus or Europe/America, and suitable
work experience. Interested parties should contact the Foundation
on [email protected]. More information on the AUA can be
received at

FURY OF THE LOBBIES
Ali Bulac

Feb 24 2009
Turkey

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s showdown in Davos inevitably hurt
bilateral relations between Turkey and Israel. High-level officials
from both sides have made harsh statements.

To some degree, these statements are understandable. However, when
they cross the line and the parties’ attitudes and stance become
harsher, the criticisms turn into serious problems, causing unpleasant
results. A recent column by David L. Phillips from The Boston Globe
(Feb. 20) is one such example. Phillips relies on a threatening tone.

"If Erdogan wants to restore his reputation as a statesman and
a reliable partner of the West, Turkey must repair its ties with
Israel, normalize relations with Armenia, and welcome ships from
Cyprus. Becoming an advocate for Hamas is a mistake. Turkey’s future
lies with the West. The Islamist street leads away from Europe to
the Middle East," he writes.

This is obviously not trying to be polite. It is arrogant and crosses
the line of criticism. A country like Turkey is not afraid of such
threats; it won’t consider the threats referred to by Phillips.

In fact, Erdogan’s response to Peres in Davos should not be
exaggerated. Other Arab countries have done the same. Muammar Qaddafi
described the Arab leaders as cowards for their failure to do anything
vis-a-vis the civilian massacres in Gaza. The Algerian parliament
adopted a resolution making all diplomatic and commercial relations
with Israel a crime. Morocco’s King Muhammad VI declared that he
would not humiliate and embarrass himself by participating in any Arab
summit that failed to take effective action against the anguish of the
Gazans. We also know a lot about the initiatives of the emir of Qatar
under the roof of the UN Security Council. Iran, while displaying a
balanced reaction, never wavered in its position vis-a-vis Israel.

All these examples show that the prime minister’s reaction to the
attacks leaving 1,380 dead bodies behind was pretty normal. Besides,
the Israeli prime minister paid an official visit to Turkey five
days before the attacks to discuss the fifth round of peace talks
with Syria; during this visit, he did not make any mention whatsoever
about the attack on Gaza. According to Turkey, a country like Israel,
which masterfully concealed its plans, cannot be trusted anyway because
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert undermined Turkey’s prestige and
image in the eyes of Syria.

Jewish lobbies in the US falsely believe that they are strong enough to
make their agenda accepted. This is not true. Prime Minister Erdogan’s
legitimacy and status is derived from the support and endorsement of
Turkish people because Turkey is a democratic country. It is true ours
is not a perfect democracy, however, it could be comfortably said that
Turkey’s democracy is way better and far more advanced than that of
Israel. A democracy that makes 1.5 million Arab citizens second class
citizens and where 85 percent of the people approve of the civilian
massacres deserves close scrutiny. The lines between the military will
and power and the civilian administration are not clear and visible;
criteria determining these lines are blurred. The role of democratic
reactions should be taken into account when developing a stance and
position with respect to Israel, Armenia and Cyprus. This was the
primary factor behind the rejection of the notorious March 1 motion
by the Turkish Parliament.

In the end, it seems that Erdogan’s rage and reaction remained
unfruitful and did not culminate in concrete action. Considering the
close military, diplomatic and logistical relations between Turkey
and Israel, it is obvious that this reaction did not harm Israel. For
instance, if Turkey had canceled its agreement on training Israeli
pilots and commandos in Turkey, we might have concluded that Erdogan’s
reaction was based on some concrete action.

When it comes to the Jewish lobbies’ threats with respect to the
Armenian genocide claims, this is not something Turkey should be
worried about. There will be no difference between the endorsement of
the claims by the US Congress and the approval of the same allegations
by parliaments of other countries. Besides, the Jewish lobbies will
be most affected by this because they will lose the monopolistic
power over the "genocide" issue.

GEORGIAN PARLIAMENT SPEAKER DAVID BAKRADZE TO ARRIVE IN ARMENIA ON OFFICIAL VISIT ON FEBRUARY 24

Noyan Tapan

F eb 23, 2009

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 23, NOYAN TAPAN. A delegation led by Georgian
parliament Speaker David Bakradze during the two-day official visit
to Armenia, between February 24 to 25, will have meetings with RA
President Serzh Sargsyan, NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamian, Prime Minister
Tigran Sargsian, and Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II.

According to the report of the RA NA Public Relations Department, on
February 24, the delegation led by D. Bakradze will take part in the
RA National Assembly sitting. The same day the delegation members will
lay a wreath to the memory of Armenian Genocide victims at the Armenian
Genocide Memorial Complex, will visit the Armenian Genocide Museum.

On February 25, the official delegation led by D. Bakradze will return
to Tbilisi.

ARMENIA INTERESTED IN DEVELOPING POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC COOPERATION WITH EU

PanARMENIAN.Net
19.02.2009 16:54 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian National Security Council, chairman of
the interdepartmental committee on coordination of cooperation with
European structures, Artur Baghdasaryan met with EU Envoy for South
Caucasus Peter Semneby and European Commission Trade Director Ewa
Synowiec

During the meeting, Artur Baghdasaryan appreciated highly the Eastern
Partnership initiative aimed to promote political dialogue between
Armenia and the European Union and stressed the importance of free
trade agreement with the EU.

For her part, Mrs. Synowiec emphasized that the initiative offers
Armenia new tools for development of Armenia-EU cooperation.

The officials also referred to implementation of the Armenia-EU action
plan for 2009-2011, reported the press office of the RA National
Security Council.

INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND DELEGATION AT PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATION

Panorama.am
14:58 18/02/2009

The President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan received the delegation of
International Monetary Fund consisting of IMF Permanent Representative
in Armenia Ninke Oomes, Deputy Director of Middle East and Central
Asia Directorate Lorenzo Peres, IMF Executive Director Ah Bakker,
Head of the Armenia Mission Mark Louis, reports the press service of
the President’s Administration.

President Sargsyan highly evaluated the co-operation of the country
with the IMF and thanked the mission members for the contribution and
support provided to Armenia. The President has confirmed the impact
of world financial-economic crisis on our economy and the efforts of
the local authorities to ease the tension.

"WITHOUT TIES" MEETING OF HEADS OF IT ORGANIZATIONS AND REPRESENTATIVES OF STATE INSTITUTIONS TO BE HELD IN DILIJAN

ARMWENPRESS
feb 16, 2009

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 16, ARMWENPRESS: "Without ties" meeting of heads
of IT organizations and representatives of state institutions will
be held February 20-22 in Dilijan.

Executive director of "The Union of IT Enterprises" Karen Vardanian
told Armenpress that during the meeting the participants will discuss
works carried out in the IT sphere and the existing problems.

The issue of competitiveness of Armenian informational technologies
in the conditions of world financial crisis will also be discussed.

"We must understand what will happen to the sphere of Armenian
informational technologies. In case of any problems forces of state
and non state institutions must be combined", – K. Vardanian said. The
latest researches of the sphere will also be presented during the
meeting.

According to K. Vardanian today there are issues in having statistic
information in the IT sphere and the problems connected with these
issues will be presented to the participants. He said in the conditions
of world financial crisis it is necessary to spur the sale and find
new markets for the Armenian product. A plan of actions on promoting
the sale of IT products and services and exporting them to new markets
will be presented.

K. Vardanian said that in case of choice of the markets it must be
clarified in what way the product must be exported, what kind of
infrastructures must be created and how the actions of the state and
the company exporting its product must be coordinated.

40-50 companies, representatives of Armenian Economy Ministry and
other departments will take part in the meeting