Author: Nanijanian Alex

"LIGHT OF ARMENIA" EXHIBITION TO OPEN IN CITY KLYUNI OF FRANCE UNTIL SEPTEMBER 30

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 19 2007

KLYUNI, JUNE 19, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. On June 19 the RA
Ambassador Edvard Nalbandian and Robert Rolan, the mayor of Klyuni,
solemnly opened the "Light od Armenia" exhibition in the famous
Monastery of Klyuni, which has been one of the most authoritative
Christian centers in Europe through the ages.

According to the information provided to Noyan Tapan by the RA
Foreign Ministry’s Press and Information Department, the exhibition is
dedicated to the prominent names of the Armenian people and the history
of the Armenian Apostolic Church such as Gregory the Illuminator,
Mesrop Mashtots, and Sahak Partev, to name but a few. Manuscripts and
historically valuable artefacts from the History Museum of Armenia,
Holy Etchmiadzin and Matenadaran (Armenian repository of ancient
manuscripts) are being exhibited.

Making a speech at the opening ceremony of the exhibition, the
Armenian Embassador expressed a special satisfaction with the fact
that the whole history of the Armenian people and, in particular,
the Cristian part of it is widely introduced within the framework of
the Armenian year in France: "Saint Armenia" in Louvre, "The magic of
the Armenian scripts" in Vieille Charite in Marseilles, "The gold and
treasures of Armenia" in Lyon, and "The Armenain treasures" in Vande,
to name but a few.

"The exhibition ‘The light of Armenia’ will become a new occasion
for attaching importance to the culture and spiritual achievements
of the Armenian people in the European common value system," the
Ambassador mentioned.

The exhibition will last till September 30, 2007.

PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS IN ARMENIA FREE, FAIR

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
June 18 2007

YEREVAN, June 18. /ARKA/. At his meeting with RA Premier Serge
Sargsyan, EU Special Representative in the South Caucasus Peter
Semneby called the recent parliamentary elections in Armenia free
and fair in many respects.

Semneby congratulated Premier Sargsyan on the May 12 parliamentary
elections, which showed progress compared to the previous elections.

The EU Special Representative expressed hope that this positive trend
will be maintained during the presidential election scheduled for 2008.

Semneby said that the EU was closely watching the election process,
as its results are most important in that after the EU approved the
New Neighborhood program Armenia was the first country inn the region
to hold elections, which can serve an example for all others. He added
that the election results are important for Armenia’s relations with
the countries of the region as well.

The EU Special Representative also congratulated Serge Sargsyan on
a decisive victory gained by the Republican Party of Armenia in the
parliamentary elections and on his appointment as RA Premier.

In his turn, Premier Sargsyan thanked for the assessments of the
parliamentary elections and expressed the confidence that the positive
trends will be maintained and developed not only on the threshold of
the presidential election.

"The efforts will be aimed at making democratic processes in Armenia
irreversible," Sargsyan.

He stressed that he stated this not only as RA Premier, but also as
Chairman of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) and "to be convinced
one has to wait only eight months."

The May 12 parliamentary elections received a general positive
assessment of international observers.

ISSUES REFERRING TO STRENGTHENING TIES BETWEEN NKR AND ARMENIAN ENTREPRENEURS DISCUSSED IN STEPANAKERT

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
June 18 2007

The issues referring to strengthening ties between the Nagorno-Karabagh
and Armenian entrepreneurs were discussed in the course of
Nagorno-Karabagh Republic President Arkady Ghoukassian’s meeting with
Armenian businessmen’s delegation headed by Chairman of the Union of
Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Armenia Arsen Ghazarian.

According to the information DE FACTO got at the NKR President’s
Press Office, in the course of the meeting held June 16, Arkady
Ghoukassian had welcomed Armenian entrepreneurs’ efforts on widening
cooperation with Nagorno-Karabagh, underscoring the importance of
Armenian investors’ involvement in the NKR economy’s development.

Arkady Ghoukassian, in part, noted Karabagh authorities were
undertaking steps targeted at reducing investment risks, including
improving administrative-legal procedures.

Second International Medical Congress of Armenia
Mamikoniants Str. 30, Yerevan, Armenia
Tel: (37410) 231232
Contact: Professor Ara Babloyan, President
Email: [email protected]

Second International Medical Congress of Armenia Set for June 28-30

Yerevan – The Second International Medical Congress of Armenia, a
three-day, comprehensive forum for healthcare professionals and
experts from throughout the world, will be held in Yerevan June 28-30.

Organized under the auspices of the Ministry of Health of Armenia, the
Medical Congress will convene at the Armenia Marriott Hotel. In
addition to plenary sessions dedicated to key health issues affecting
Armenia and Karabakh, the event will comprise scientific presentations
in some 24 areas of specialty, as well as eight satellite symposia
linking regional healthcare professionals with the international
Armenian medical community attending the Congress.

The event will feature lectures by renowned specialists from Armenia
and across the globe, who will share with colleagues a significant
number of new medical discoveries and advanced techniques, in addition
to examining a number of health issues pertaining to the world at
large, and Armenia and Karabakh in particular.

For the first time ever, the satellite symposia organized by the
Medical Congress will bring together close to l,500 professionals
throughout the world. Also planned is a teleconference session on
pediatrics that will link medical professionals from New Jersey and
Yerevan. This particular session is being sponsored by the US-based
Richard Davoud Donchian Foundation and the Medical Missions for
Children. Furthermore, the Medical Congress will see the launch of
the Building Bridges Partnership Program, an initiative aimed at
bolstering professional growth and cross-country collaboration through
guest-lectureship opportunities.

`The Armenian medical establishment has come a long way in the past
decade or so, but there’s still much to be done for achieving the
optimal healthcare standards that we envision,’ said Professor Ara
Babloyan, President of the Medical Congress’ Organizing
Committee. Babloyan, who has served as Minister of Health of Armenia
and heads the Arabkir Joint Medical Center, Institute of Child and
Adolescent Health, was recently appointed Chairman of the Armenian
Parliament’s Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Health Care, and
Environment.

Babloyan continued: `The Medical Congress is critically important in
that it provides an all-encompassing platform for improving the
healthcare sphere on the one hand, and enhancing public awareness of
medical issues on the other. Specifically, the event provides an
extraordinary conduit for discussing major healthcare issues, sharing
know-how and experience, and fostering collaboration.’

The Medical Congress is being made possible through a major donation
by VivaCell, the leading Armenian mobile operator, providing a wide
range of voice and data services. With an institutional credo of
corporate social responsibility, to date VivaCell has supported a
string of cultural and social projects in Armenia, including the First
for the Children organization, the Golden Apricot International Film
Festival, the Music Groups ensemble of the Armenian Blind Society, and
the Millennium Armenian Children’s Vaccine Fund. `Corporate social
responsibility is a key aspect of our work,’ said Ralph Yirikian,
General Manager of VivaCell. `We are extremely proud to have been
involved in the realization of the Second International Medical
Congress of Armenia. It remains to hope that our support can be
emulated by many other Armenia-based companies, which can achieve so
much today by contributing to worthy local causes. Corporate social
responsibility is not just good karma; it makes good business sense.’

Other sponsors of the Medical Congress include: GlaxoSmithKline,
Hoffmann-La Roche, Inc., MRPharmS, Wigmore Medical Limited, Eli Lilly
Vostok S. A., Gedeon Richter, Arabkir United Children’s Charity
Foundation, Children of Armenia Fund, and Fund for Armenian Relief.

Haroutioun Koushkyan, MD, PhD, Minister of Health of the Republic of
Armenia, emphasized the significance of synergies and partnerships
that he hopes the Medical Congress will facilitate. `In the main, the
Congress will serve to help Armenian healthcare workers gain fresh
insights and understanding, and strengthen their professional skills,’
he said. `As importantly, the event is meant to widen the impact of
these benefits through a host of collaborative projects and
experience-sharing programs.’

In this respect, Koushkyan explained that the Medical Congress’
third-day plenary session will be devoted entirely to Diaspora-Armenia
projects and strategies for future collaboration. He added that the
goal of sharing medical experience, developments, and ideas among
Armenian healthcare professionals continues to be realized across the
globe, thanks both to the International Medical Congress of Armenia
and the biennial Armenian Medical World Congress, organized in the
Diaspora by the Armenian Medical International Committee.

`Inclusiveness is another hallmark of the Medical Congress,’ Babloyan
said, in reference to the event’s unprecedented outreach effort
through its satellite symposia. In a bid to secure the involvement of
Armenian healthcare professionals throughout the regions of the
country, the Medical Congress has announced that they may participate
in its activities without having to pay a registration fee. The
satellite symposia are designed to provide up-to-date professional
information to regional practitioners and help build cross-country
partnerships.

Some of the Medical Congress’ main plenary-session topics necessitate
the discussion of certain cultural, sociological, and
socio-psychological factors, `making for a broad and extremely
rewarding examination of these issues,’ according to a representative
of the Medical Congress. The topics include quality assurance in
healthcare, the growing trend of hypertension, tobacco addiction, and
affective disorder – titled `Temperament, Human Nature, Affective
Disorder, and Creativity: Is there an Armenian Temperament?’

More information on the Second International Medical Congress of
Armenia, including participation details, may be obtained online at

BANKING SECTOR OF ARMENIA BECOMES ATTRACTIVE FOR FOREIGN PLAYERS

ArmInfo
2007-06-15 16:02:00

Five new foreign banks wish to enter the Armenian financial market,
chairman of RA Central Bank Tigran Sargsyan said today at the annual
meeting of Armeconombank. Replying to ArmInfo question, T. Sargsyan
said that in 2007, CB received applications of 5 banks from Austria,
Germany, Russia, Lebanon, which wished to register and get license to
carry out the banking activity in Armenia. He also said that entry of
these banks in the Armenian market will increase the competition, in
view of which it is necessary to continuously increase qualification of
their staff and allocate means for their retraining", T. Sargsyan said.

To note, 21 commercial banks presently function in Armenia.

VARDAN OSKANYAN: ARMENIA NOT ISOLATED IN REGION

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
June 14 2007

YEREVAN, June 14. /ARKA/. RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan stated
that Armenia does not feel isolated in the region.

In his interview to the Armenian "Kentron" TV Company he stated that
Armenia is not isolated, but "is just keeping away" for political
reasons.

"This is not good for the region in general and affects its interests,
including the interests of Turkey and Azerbaijan. In this matter they
are acting against themselves," Oskanyan said. He added that attempts
to completely isolate Armenia do not cause more damage to the country
than that caused as a result of closed Armenian-Turkish border.

"It is not a matter of life and death for us. Of course, it is
desirable that we have normal good-neighborly relations, and there
is no doubt that we must do our best for this, but it must not by any
means be linked with the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem,"
Oskanyan said.

According to him, the Armenian side has focused on accomplishing the
task set to it, namely, ensuring the Nagorno-Karabakh’s people’s right
to self-determination, settling the conflict, establishing peace,
ensuring security of the Nagorno-Karabakh population and normalizing
relations with the neighbors.

"There are no reasons for preventing Armenia’s involvement in regional
and economic projects after the relations have been normalized,"
Oskanyan said.

"We should not forget that many economic problems will be easy to
resolve if Armenia is involved in regional economic projects. The
countries trying to have Armenia ousted from regional economic projects
pay for it," Oskanyan said.

According to him, these countries need Armenia’s involvement in
the projects.

"The major obstacle is the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. If it is resolved,
all the other problems will be resolved, I am sure," Oskanyan said.

The Minister pointed out the inadvisability of laying emphasis on
economic problems during the negotiations for the Nagorno-Karabakh
settlement.

"This will weaken our positions, as Azerbaijan will think that we
are dependent on all this," Oskanyan said.

IRAN TO PIPE GAS TO ARMENIA IN WINTER

Payvand, Iran
June 12 2007

TEHRAN, June 11 (Mehr News Agency) – Iran’s gas export to Armenia
was postponed to next winter due to a delay in pipe-laying operations.

Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad and his Armenian counterpart,
Robert Kocharian, opened the pipeline’s first section at a ceremony
near the border.

Under the first stage of the project, Iran will annually export some
400m cubic meters of gas, which will be increased up to 3.2 billion
cubic meters when the 141km link is completed.

The 100 km Iranian section runs from Tabriz to Iran-Armenia border.

The Armenian section runs from Meghri region to Sardarian.

"BOTH SIDES HAVE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS OPPORTUNITY"

Mediamax news agency
June 2007

(The exclusive interview of Miguel Angel Moratinos, Foreign Minister
of Spain, OSCE Chairman-in-Office to Armenian Mediamax news agency,
June 2007)

– What are your impressions of your recent meeting with the Co-chairs
of the OSCE Minsk Group, held in Madrid? How viable is the proposal
on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which is on the
negotiation table at present?

– On May 4 I had a meeting with the three Co-chairs of the OSCE
Minsk Group.

This meeting followed another, held in Madrid on 10 December 2006. The
most recent meeting, at which the three Co-chairs provided me with
a full briefing of their work, was highly fruitful. As the OSCE
Chairman-in-Office, I congratulate Ambassadors Fassier and Merzliakov
and Deputy Assistant Secretary Bryza on their excellent work, and
express my gratitude to the authorities of Armenia and Azerbaijan for
their good offices in working with them towards resolving the conflict.

– One of the basic principles of the settlement is connected to holding
a referendum in Nagorno-Karabakh. Do you believe that Azerbaijan is
really ready to accept the idea of a referendum?

– It is no easy matter to balance the principles of sovereignty
and territorial integrity with that of self-determination. Both are
universal principles that are applicable in different circumstances. I
am convinced that Azerbaijan and Armenia are capable of using excellent
judgement in applying the most appropriate principles to resolve a
situation that is prejudicial to many thousands of people, who have
the right to decent, peaceful and prosperous lives.

– Judging from the latest statements of the sides, Armenia and
Azerbaijan are "close to the settlement of the conflict as never
before". Do you share such optimism?

– I do know that both countries put the highest priority on
overcoming the problems affecting the region, and for this reason I am
optimistic. Both sides have to take advantage of this opportunity. It
is high time they took the step.

– The authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh, which represent the interests
of 140 000 Armenians living in the region, regularly stated the need
of their direct participation in the talks. Azerbaijan is categorically
against that.

Don’t you think that without elimination of that obvious contradiction,
the peace process will not give real results?

– To answer this question, let me start with the final point: if
Armenia, Azerbaijan and the OSCE undertake to achieve concrete results
and work resolutely to that end, then all the problems may be overcome.

– All the interested international organizations urge the sides
to demonstrate political will, necessary to overcome the remaining
discords.

What is the reason for the sides to lack that will so far?

– In a conflict that has lasted so many years, and that affects such a
large number of people, genuine political will is needed to heal the
wounds of the past and to look towards the future with optimism. The
political maturity now enjoyed by both countries and the clear-sighted
vision of their political leaders constitute a solid guarantee that
the political will to resolve the conflict shall prevail.

– One of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs – Russia, strongly believes
that the possible independence of Kosovo will unambiguously become
a precedent for other "frozen conflicts". The other two Co-chairs –
France and the USA, oppose that and turn down the possibility of a
precedent. What is your stance as to that issue?

– The conflicts currently existing within the OSCE vary greatly in
their nature. Neither France nor Russia nor the USA, represented
by the Co-chairs, consider it advisable to apply pre-established
formulas, given that the reality of widely varying situations would
make them inoperative.

– The international organizations, including the OSCE, urge the states
of the region to develop regional cooperation, stressing that the fact
will assist the settlement of the conflicts. Azerbaijan looks at the
issue of cooperation from another stance. What is, according to you,
the exit from this deadlock?

– Regional cooperation is obviously a fundamental condition to
promote security and stability. I am convinced that both Armenia and
Azerbaijan are well aware that they have to seize, as soon as possible,
the current window of opportunity to advance in the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict and to develop the great cooperation possibilities that have
arisen in the Caucasus in the socio-economic sphere.

– What is your assessment of the situation with democratic reforms
in Armenia in the light of the recent parliamentary elections, which
received positive assessments from the OSCE, EU and Council of Europe?

– As OSCE Chairman-in-Office, but also as a member of the Spanish
Government, I congratulate Armenia on the democratic advance made
in the recent parliamentary elections, which were viewed positively
by the OSCE Electoral Observation Mission. Strengthening democracy,
which is a fundamental value for the OSCE, contributes to the security
and cooperation of all the Participant Countries.

Visa International leads by the number of active international cards,
and MasterCard by the volume of operations

ArmInfo
2007-06-11 21:32:00

Visa International leads by the number of active international cards,
and MasterCard by the volume of
operations. According to the data of Single Payment System [SPS],
Armenian Card, given to the ArmInfo, at 1 May the number of the active
cards of the MasterCard system made up 14.188. (growth by 6,1% in
April), and Visa – 44,902 (growth by 0,3% in April). In April 9444
operations were made using the Mastercards (growth by 8,27%), and Visa
– 27585 (6,25%).

In general as of 1 May of the current year there were 162525 active
plastic cards emitted by the Armenian commerce banks within the frames
of SPS, which is by 2,4% more than the index of the 1 April. Only
117579 cards made operation in April.

According to the source, in Armenia the number of active local plastic
cards Ar`a made up 103435. (a monthly growth by 2,9%), in April 80550
operations were made using Arca cards (monthly growth by 12,2%). As for
1 May 2007, 1063 service units were acting in SPS, 190 of which were
giving cash without taking into account the bancomats. A total 1158
POS-terminals out of 1187 acting in the country served ArCa plastic
cards, Visa – 778, Master – 818. In April the number of the service and
cash-in points increased by 36 and POS-terminals by 38.

LEVON ARONIAN DRAWS GAME WITH ALEXEI SHIROV IN 4th TOUR OF SECOND TOUR
TOURNAMENT OF PRETENDERS FOR WORLD CHESS CHAMPION TITLE

ELISTA, JUNE 11, NOYAN TAPAN. Games of 4th tour of second stage of
pretenders for world chess champion title took place on June 10 in
Elista. Levon Aronian drew the game with Alexei Shirov (Spain). L.
Aronian is in the lead with the score of 2.5 to 1.5.

The scores of another pairs of pretenders are the following: Boris
Gelfand – Alexander Grishchuk 2 to 2, Boris Gelfand – Gata Kamski 2.5
to 1.5, Peter Leko – Yevgeni Bariyev 3 to 1.