Author: Nalbandian Albert

VTB BANK (ARMENIA) LARGEST TAXPAYER IN ARMENIA’S BANKING SECTOR AT FIRST QUARTER OF 2009

ARKA
Apr 24, 2009

YEREVAN, April 24 /ARKA/. VTB Bank (Armenia) became the largest
taxpayer in Armenia’s banking sector by paying AMD 464.7 million at
the first quarter of 2009.

The bank was also placed 17th in the list of 300 largest taxpayers
of the country, Armenian State Revenue Committee says.

The list includes 17th Armenian commercial banks, which have paid
AMD 3.2 billion to the state budget over the first quarter.

The second biggest taxpayer among Armenian commercial banks is HSBC
Bank Armenia, who was placed 18th in the list for paying AMD 459.2
million.

Unibank was 21st after paying AMD 431.3 million. ACBA-Credit Agricole
Bank has paid AMD 400.3 million paid to the state budget over the
first quarter (the 24th rank), Ardshininvestbank AMD 338.4 million
(33rd rank), Inecobank Armenia AMD 172.6 million (70th) and Converse
Bank AMD 139.1 million (85th).

The list of 300 taxpayers also includes Armbusinessbank with its AMD
111.2 million (116th), Ameriabank with AMD 105.4 million (125th),
Mellat Bank AMD 101.6 million (132nd), Areximbank AMD 97.8 million
(136th), Anelik Bank AMD 78.1 million (173rd), Armenian Development
Bank AMD 72.2 million (192nd), ProCredit Bank AMD 72.1 million (193rd),
Araratbank AMD 59.9 million (235th), Armeconombank AMD 57.6 million
(243rd) and BTA Invest Bank AMD 51.3 million (270th).

Four univers al credit organizations have paid AMD 271.2 million –
Finca universal credit organization was placed 144th for paying AMD
90.8 million to the state budget over the first quarter, Aregak is
188th (AMD 73 million), Norvik is 237th (AMD 59.2 million) and AGBA
Leasing is 285th (48.2 million).

Now 22 commercial banks and 25 credit organizations are functioning
in Armenia.

Artsakhbank’s head office is in Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. ($1 =
AMD 370.46).

ARMENIAN ACTIVISTS URGE OBAMA TO RECOGNISE ‘GENOCIDE’

Agence France Presse — English
April 21, 2009 Tuesday 3:38 PM GMT

Dozens of Armenian youth activists marched on the US embassy in
Yerevan on Tuesday to call on President Barack Obama to recognise
the World War I-era mass killings of Armenians as "genocide."

About 100 young activists with the opposition Heritage party
marched from central Yerevan to the embassy, carrying the flags of
21 countries and international organisations that have recognised
the genocide label.

"We are here to give a letter to US President Obama with an appeal
to recognise the Armenian genocide. It is time for him to fulfill
the promise he made during his election campaign," said one of the
march’s organisers, David Sanasarian.

Armenia on Friday will mark the 94th anniversary of the killings,
which have been at the root of a long diplomatic feud with neighbouring
Turkey.

Obama pledged during his 2008 White House run that he would recognise
the 1915-1917 massacres as genocide and has strongly backed US
congressional resolutions to that effect.

But he avoided using the politically charged terminology during a
visit to Turkey earlier this month, instead calling for Armenia and
Turkey to build on recent efforts at reconciliation.

Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their kinsmen died in orchestrated
killings during the final years of the Ottoman Empire.

Turkey rejects the genocide label, saying that 300,000 Armenians
and at least an equal number of Turks were killed in civil strife in
1915-1917, when the Christian Armenians, backed by Russia, rose up
against the Ottomans.

REP. COSTA STATEMENT REGARDING 94TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Targeted News Service
April 22, 2009 Wednesday 4:04 AM EST

Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif. (20th CD), issued the following news release:

Today, Congressman Jim Costa (D-Fresno) made the following statement
on the floor of the House of Representatives regarding the 94th
anniversary of the start of the Armenian Genocide.

Costa is a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and is
an original cosponsor of H. Res. 252, a resolution recognizing the
Armenian Genocide in the United States.

"Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 94th anniversary of
the start of the Armenian Genocide, which was the first genocide of
the 20th century and sadly, the template for a cycle of genocide that
continues to this very day.

"It is, by any reasonable standard, established history that between
1915 and 1923 the Ottoman Empire systematically killed an estimated
1.5 million Armenians and drove hundreds of thousands of others into
exile from their ancestral homeland. The record of this atrocity is
well documented in the United States Archives and has been universally
accepted in the International Association of Genocide Scholars and
the broader historical and academic communities.

"This year, our nation has the opportunity to finally recognize the
Armenian Genocide as such in the annual commemoration from the White
House. Year after year, we have seen the same standard letter from the
White House which offers sympathy and apology for the ‘mass killings,’
yet refused to label these events as genocide. However, President Obama
made promises during his campaign that he would right this wrong,
and recognize the Armenian Genocide. I am hopeful Madam Speaker, we
finally escape from being under Turkey’s thumb on this issue. It is
vital our nation has a foreign policy that accurately reflects history.

"Despite my optimism, I am told yet again that now is not the right
time for our nation to recognize the Armenian Genocide. Two years ago,
we were told recognition would hurt our troops fighting in Iraq. Four
years ago we were told the same thing. This year, we’re being told that
recognizing the Armenian Genocide will hurt American jobs. How? We
cannot develop a foreign policy based solely on what other countries
want to hear about their past. Should we not recognize the Soviet
orchestrated famine which killed millions in the Ukraine? Should we
allow Cambodia to rewrite the atrocities committed under the reign of
the Khmer Rouge? What if our schools stopped teaching the American
Revolution and we stopped celebrating the Fourth of July because it
offended the British? All nations must recognize past events, both
good and bad, and learn from it.

"To ensure Congress does not mention or pass the Armenian Genocide
resolution, Turkey hires powerful and expensive lobbyists to meet
with Members and staff, distort the historical facts, and make veiled
threats on what might happen if the Genocide is recognized. For the
last twenty years, Turkey has been very successful. I firmly believe
that we should work with foreign nations on challenges and mutual
interests. However, I do not believe another nation can hold our
foreign policy decisions hostage because they do not want to admit
to dark periods in their past. It is unacceptable that we continue
to allow threats from Turkey to hinder our nation from recognizing
a historical fact that has been recognized by historians, scholars,
theologians, philosophers, common people, and President Ronald Reagan.

"My district is home to thousands of Armenian-Americans, many who
are the sons and daughters of survivors. When I am home, I am often
approached in the store or on the street by my Armenian friends asking
when our country will honor their parents and finally recognize the
genocide. We are quickly approaching the 100th anniversary of the
start of the Armenian Genocide, and I am hopeful we do not have to
wait until then to bring justice to my Armenian friends and neighbors.

"In closing, Madam Speaker, I will say again, genocide is not
something that can simply swept under the rug and forgotten. We need
leaders around the world to not only recognize it, but to condemn it
so the world can truly say ‘Never Again’. The United States cannot
continue its policy of denial regarding the Armenian Genocide, and I
encourage passage of H. Res. 252 to recognize the Armenian Genocide
in our nation."

REPRESENTATIVE OF FOREIGN DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCE DOUBTS VERY MUCH THAT US PRESIDENT WILL PRONOUNCE THE WORD ‘GENOCIDE’ IN HIS SPEECH

ArmInfo
2009-04-24 13:08:00

ArmInfo. ‘The policy conducted by Azerbaijan towards the people of
Karabakh is continuation of the genocide implemented by Turkey’, –
member of foreign department of Armenian National Academy of Science,
living in the USA, Erwand Azatyan, told ArmInfo correspondent.

He also added that annihilation of the Armenian people is on the
agenda of Turkey today as well. ‘Armenia should arrange recognition
of the Armenian genocide by Turkey’, – Azatyan said. As for opening
of the Armenian-Turkish border, he said opening of the border is
beneficial for Armenia in an economic sense, but it also has negative
consequences. At the same time he said that opening of the border is
a right step as it mean endorsement of international norms. As for
US President Barack Obama’s speech on 24 April, Azatyan thinks he
will hardly pronounce the word "genocide".

TWO VIEWS OF OBAMA’S ARMENIAN GENOCIDE POLICY

Atlantic Online
_views_of_obamas_armenian_genocide_policy.php
Apri l 24 2009

View one. Obama broke his campaign promise. This YouTube makes it
clear. Samantha Power (who is a new mommy today — congrats to her)
— said Obama would speak truth to power. Obama himself said he’d
use the word "genocide." And he didn’t. He needs Turkey too much.

View two, courtesy of reader BJ: Most analysts see Obama
as capitulating on the Armenian issue due to real-world foreign
affairs. I see it differently. If you watch Obama’s behavior patterns
in the controversial arenas (torture, anyone?), he seems doggedly
determined to not let emotionally charged issues (however valid)
derail far more important agendas.

In the case of the Armenian genocide, Turkey and Armenia are making
real, substantial diplomatic progress on their relationship, and the
Turkish prime minister has acknowledged the role of historians in
reaching some type of conclusion (however complex). While I realize
that Obama does not mind dodging a bullet for now, I also believe
that he is even more reticent to inflame passions and risk setbacks
while the Turkish and Armenian governments build new bridges. The
real question is, "What action (or inaction) at this moment will help
us reach the goal (Turkish-Armenian rapprochement) in the shortest
timeframe and with enduring results?"

It’s the same, I believe, with the torture issues. It’s a huge moral
issue, it must be dealt with, but the costs of settling it "right now"
would put many important national goals in serious risk of failure. How
would history judge the Obama administration if he settled everything
on the torture front quickly and thoroughly, but lost the small window
of political momentum where financial reforms, health care reforms,
entitlement restructuring, new energy policies, etc. wasted away to
the Washington purgatory they’ve been in for generations?

"THE LARK FARM", A FILM DEDICATED TO THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE WAS SCREENED IN SOCHI

PanArmenian News
April 25 2009
Armenia

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Today, "The Lark Farm" was screened in one of Sochi
movie theatres. People of different ages who had come to the see the
film left the cinema hall with tears in their eyes. "I am shocked. When
you read about it in the books you don’t perceive the horror so
strongly. But when you see it onscreen, it’s just terrifying," said a
young Armenian lady. "Even animals can’t be that ferocious. Grieving
over the dead, I call on all the Armenians to be unanimous; we
must prevent such heinous crimes from being repeated. Sochi youth
have decided to tell school and university students and all other
interested people the whole truth about the Genocide."

VLADIMIR JHIRINOVSKI: ARMENIANS LIVE ON THEIR OWN LAND, LET THE TURKISH GET BACK TO CENTRAL ASIA, WHERE THEY BELONG

PanArmenian News
April 24 2009
Armenia

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A meeting in memory of Armenian Genocide victims
was held in Moscow today. Commemorative meeting was held for the
first time, until now the Armenian Community in Moscow held piquets
in front of Turkish Embassy.

The meeting was conducted by a public figure, General Roman
Harutyunov. Statements condemning the Armenian Genocide were delivered
by Armenian Community Head and representatives of Greek, Jewish
and Kurdish diasporas as well as Yuri Navoyan (Russian-Amrenian
Cooperation), Gegham Khalatyan (Russian Armenians’ Union Head) and
Vardan Mushegyan (Russia’s Diasporas Union).

The meeting hosted over 700 participants.

RF Parliamentary Vice Speaker Vladimir Jhirinovski supported
restoration of historical justice and Armenian borders, return of
Ararat and friendship between Armenia and Russia. "Armenians live
on their own land, let the Turkish get back to Central Asia, where
they belong," PanARMENIAN.Net Moscow staff reporter cited Vladimir
Jhirinovski as saying.

BERNARD FASSIER: "WE EXPECT IMPROVEMENT IN THE NEGOTIATIONS ON THE SOLUTION TO NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT"

APA
April 23 2009
Azerbaijan

Baku. Viktoria Dementieva – APA. OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs Matthew
Bryza (US), Bernard Fassier (France), Yuri Merzlyakov (Russia) and
personal representative of OSCE chairman-in-office Andrzej Kasprzyk
have today left Yerevan for Baku.

French co-chair Bernard Fassier told journalists at Heydar Aliyev
International Airport that the mediators will meet with Azerbaijani
officials tomorrow after their discussions in Baku. The co-chairs
will meet with Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, and later with
President Ilham Aliyev.

Bernard Fassier said they would return to Yerevan early on April 25. He
said before leaving for Yerevan they would hold a press conference.

To the question "How do you assess the present state of the
negotiations?" the French diplomat said: "I think there are
prospects. We expect some improvement in the negotiations."

US EMBASSY DONATES AMERICAN STUDIES TEXTBOOKS TO THREE UNIVERSITIES

armradio.am
22.04.2009 14:53

On April 22, 2009, U.S. Ambassador Marie L. Yovanovitch and
representatives of Yerevan State Linguistic University named
after Brusov, Russian-Armenian Slavonic University, and Yerevan
State University participated in a book donation ceremony at the
U.S. Embassy’s Information Resource Center. The U.S. Embassy, through
its American Corner program, is donating almost $50,000 (18 million
dram) in American Studies textbooks for area studies programs at the
three schools.

The U.S. Embassy provides American Studies seminars, trainings, and
exchange opportunities to university faculty throughout Armenia. This
is the first large scale donation of American Studies textbooks,
which cover themes in American government, history, culture, and
literature. The books present a diverse view of America and will
strengthen American Studies curricula in Armenia. Multiple copies of
five different titles are being donated to each university so that
students are able to work with the texts during class as well as
outside the classroom.

In her remarks, Ambassador Yovanovitch noted that, "Learning about
other cultures is the key to ensuring mutual understanding between
nations," and expressed a hope that the English-language books will
be a valuable contribution to the efforts of university faculty
and administrators, who are actively incorporating American Studies
content into their classes.

ARMENIA’S SECURITY STRATEGY SHOULD NOT SUFFER BECAUSE OF NORMALIZATION OF RELATIONS WITH TURKEY
Marianna Gyurjyan

"Radiolur"
22.04.2009 16:36

"The normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations should be
realized so that our national security strategy is not endangered
because of some incautious step," Representative of the ARF Supreme
Body Armen Rustamyan said during the conference on the current state
and perspectives of the Armenian-Turkish relations.

"Turkey will never make a step that does not proceed from its national
interests or may hamper the realization of their objectives. This
characterizes the bounds of strategic concessions of the neighbor
country.

With this strategy it has managed to create an impression that the
process of normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations exists
and is constructively proceeding," he said.

According to Armen Rustamyan, "Turkey claims to become an important
factor of stability and peace in the South Caucasus and an immediate
role-player in the process of settlement of the Karabakh issue. All
the above mentioned factors are dangerous for us."