Author: nina hovnanian

EUROPEAN INTEGRATION: ARMENIA DEVELOPING MILITARY AND ECONOMIC COOPERATION WITH EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
By Naira Hayrumyan

ArmeniaNow
19.10.11 | 11:23

Chairman of the Christian Democratic Union of Armenia (CDUA) Khosrov
Harutyunyan once aptly remarked that “[President] Serge Sargsyan has
come to make Euro repairs” in the republic.

Last week was marked by visits to Armenia by masters of “euro-repairs”,
who openly declared that Armenia has a Western direction of development
and that the Western countries will gladly support it in this way,
without demanding that it sever relations with Moscow.

(In Armenia and most other post-Soviet countries modern apartment
repairs are often called “Euro-repairs”).

British Ambassador to Armenia Charles Lonsdale said: “The European
Union and NATO consider Armenia as its neighbor, as part of a larger
Europe. We welcome the readiness and willingness of Armenia to
cooperate with NATO and the EU.”

He stressed that Armenia is a shining example of a country that can
have good relations with NATO and at the same time be a member of the
Collective Security Treaty Organization, a Russia-dominated alliance
of six former Soviet countries.

At the same time, French Ambassador to Armenia Henri Reynaud said
that the issue of simplifying the visa regime between Armenia and
the EU will soon be addressed. This is likely to be followed by the
process of creating free trade zones, which, in turn, will be a huge
stimulus for Armenia’s economic development.

“The conclusion of the association agreement will open a new stage
in Armenia-EU cooperation. For this purpose, Armenia should implement
institutional reforms that will allow the country to be more in line
with European standards,” said the French diplomat.

The main directions in which cooperation between Armenia and the West
will develop have been defined by new U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John
Heffern, who presented his credentials to President Sargsyan earlier
this week. The U.S. diplomat said that the U.S.-Armenia cooperation
will be proceeding in three areas: regional stability and security,
the development of trade and investments, as well as democratization
and holding elections that meet international standards.

In connection with the first area of cooperation, which is the
maintenance of regional security, Armenia has applied for Western
aid to restrain Azerbaijan from the arms race. On October 18
Sargsyan received Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control,
Verification and Compliance Rose Gottemoeller. At the meeting,
the Armenian president said that Armenia considers the Conventional
Forces in Europe Treaty (CFE) as one of the foundations of security
and stability in Europe.

This week a remarkable statement was also made by Secretary of the
Armenian Security Council Secretary Artur Baghdasaryan. During a joint
press conference with the visiting Head of the National Security
Bureau of Poland Stanislaw Koziej Baghdasaryan said that the most
active area in the Armenian-Polish relations is military cooperation,
under which joint military-industrial enterprises will be set up in
the territory of Armenia over the next year.

President Sargsyan is due to pay a state visit to Russian capital
Moscow on October 23-25 at the invitation of his Russian counterpart
Dmitry Medvedev.

DELEGATION OF WESTERN DIPLOMATS AND EXPERTS TO ARRIVE IN YEREVAN TODAY

Mediamax
Oct 19 2011
Armenia

Yerevan/Mediamax/. The joint delegation of the German Marshall Fund
of the United States and Robert Bosch Stiftung will arrive in Yerevan
today to get acquainted with recent developments in the South Caucasus.

The delegation already visited Baku and Tbilisi where they met with
the Azerbaijani and Georgian Presidents.

According to Mediamax’s information, the delegation members will
meet with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, Head of the President’s
Staff Vigen Sargsyan, leader of the ANC Levon Ter-Petrosyan and head
of the Civilitas Foundation Vardan Oskanyan.

The delegation members are:

– Dieter Boden, Former Special Representative of the Secretary General
of the UN to Georgia;

– Olof Ehrenkrona, Senior Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs
of Sweden, Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs;

– Sylvia Hartleif, Senior Advisor to the Committee on Foreign Affairs,
German Bundestag;

– Christoph Israng, Head of Divison, German Federal Chancellery;

– Christine Weil, Head of Division, South Caucasus and Central Asia,
German Ministry of Foreign Affairs;

– Tim Judah, Special Correspondent, The Economist;

– Carsten Lenk, Senior Program Officer, Program Area Central- and
Southeastern Europe, CIS, China, Robert Bosch Stiftung;

– Ognyan Minchev, Director, Institute for Regional and International
Studies, Bulgaria;

– Jesper Pedersen, Minority Staff Director, Europe Subcommittee,
House Foreign Affairs;

– Constanze Stelzenmuller, Senior Transatlantic Fellow, German Marshall
Fund of the US;

– Michael Thumann, Die ZEIT, Head of Middle East Office;

– Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, Director, GMF Ankara; – Brian Wanko, Majority
Professional Staff Member, Europe Subcommittee, House Foreign Affairs;

– Mark Cunningham, Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation, GMF
Bucharest;

– Dinu Toderascu, Program Officer, Black Sea Trust for Regional
Cooperation, GMF Bucharest;

– Andrew Fishbein, Program Officer, Congressional Affairs, GMF
Washington;

– Nino Liluashvili, Program Officer, Black Sea Trust.

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT SPEAKER MEETS WITH IRANIAN AND KUWAITI COUNTERPARTS

news.am
Oct 19 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – Within the framework of his work visit to Bern, Switzerland,
Armenian National Assembly (NA) Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan on Monday
had meetings with the speakers of Iranian and Kuwaiti parliaments.

Armenian-Iranian relations are on a high level and they continue to
develop in an atmosphere of mutual trust, Abrahamyan said during his
meeting with Ali Larijani, Chairman of the Parliament of Iran. In
Abrahamyan’s conviction, cooperation between Armenia’s and Iran’s
legislative bodies also greatly contribute to establishment of warm
relations between both countries, NA Press Service informed Armenian
News-NEWS.am.

In his turn, Ali Larijani delightfully noted that inter-parliamentary
cooperation and bilateral partnership in different directions
became more active following his official visit to Armenia. In the
interlocutors’ conviction, cooperation between the two countries has
a considerable potential in the economic sector, too.

Abrahamyan and Larijani also discussed regional developments, reflected
on the Karabakh conflict and the Armenian-Turkish relations, and
underscored regional stability, peace, and security.

On the same day, Armenian NA Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan also met with
Jassem Mohammad Al-Kharafi, Speaker of the National Assembly of Kuwait.

Abrahamyan noted that Armenia gives great importance to developing
multilateral relations with Arab countries, including Kuwait. In
his words, the two peoples are interlinked through the centuries-old
friendship, which serves as a basis for the dynamic development of
inter-state relations. Hovik Abrahamyan also stressed the development
and activeness of inter-parliamentary cooperation, and the cooperation
within international organizations.

In his turn, Al-Kharafi likewise underscored the development of
inter-parliamentary ties in strengthening relations between both
countries, and also invited Hovik Abrahamyan to Kuwait for an
official visit.

The interlocutors also reflected on other matters, and stressed
the importance of further intensifying trade and economic ties and
carrying out concrete projects.

ARMENIA MAKES TERRITORIAL CLAIMS FROM FIRST DAYS OF EXISTENCE – VICE SPEAKER

news.az
Oct 18 2011
Azerbaijan

Armenia pursued the policy of territorial claims to its neighbors
from the first day of its creation.

The statement came from the first vice-speaker of the Milli Majlis
Ziyafat Asgarov. He was speaking at the 20th anniversary of restoration
of state independence of Azerbaijan plenary session of Parliament.

“In order to provide military assistance to Armenia acting together
armed gangs committed acts of genocide against the civilian population
in Irevan, Goycha, Zangezur, Karabakh and other Azerbaijani settlements
and forced the local population to flee their homes”, he said.

According to him, in those years in order to ensure the safety of
peaceful Azerbaijanis the government of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
invited the Armenians to settle disputes through negotiation.

“As Gumri which Armenians considered to be their political center
was out of their control, the Armenian government has applied to the
National Council of Azerbaijan with a request to allow them to use
Irevan as their capital. At its meeting on 29 May 1918 The National
Council considered the matter and decided to pass the Azerbaijani
town of Irevan and surrounding cities to Armenia.

In reaching this decision, the members of the National Counci hoped
that Armenia will fulfill its obligations by refusing all claims to
other territories of Azerbaijan, which will put an end to the Armenian
armed gangs against attacking peaceful Azerbaijani population that
will ensure safety of the local Azeri population and that Armenia
will create conditions to ensure 150,000 Azerbaijanis return to their
homes”, Asgarov said.

Unfortunately, however, this concession led to greater territorial
claims of Armenia towards Azerbaijan, the First Vice-Speaker said.

ARMENIA BECOMING A WORLD PLAYER IN MICROELECTRONICS EDUCATION

ENP Newswire
October 17, 2011 Monday

Release date- 12102011 – YEREVAN, Armenia – Synopsys, Inc.

(Nasdaq:SNPS), a world leader in software and IP used in the design,
verification and manufacture of electronic components and systems,
today announced the champions of the Sixth Annual International
Microelectronics Olympiad of Armenia, with competitors winning prizes
in 13 categories.

A full list of the winners is provided below. Taking place as part
of Synopsys Week in Armenia 2011,this year’s competition reflected
the diversity of participants from eleven countries: Belarus, China,
Germany, India, Jordan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, UAE, Ukraine
and the USA.

The Olympiad’s goals are to stimulate further development of
microelectronics in Armenia and in the participant countries;
recognize and inspire young, talented engineers; increase interest
in microelectronics among young specialists; discern the level of
knowledge you participants have in the field of microelectronics in
order to make necessary adjustments to regional educational programs;
create a community of young specialists involved in microelectronics.

The Olympiad highlights the brightest, most talented engineers under
the age of 30. Olympiad topics for 2011 included Digital IC Design
and Test, Analog and Mixed Signal IC Design and Test, Semiconductor
Devices and Technology, and Mathematic and Algorithmic Issues of
Electronic Design Automation (EDA).

Out of 349 competitors in the Olympiad, 133 were from Armenian
universities and IT companies while 216 were from foreign universities
and organizations: Belarusian State University of Informatics and
Radio Electronics (BSUIR) in Belarus; Chinese Academy of Sciences
(CAS) in China; Technical University of Munich (TUM) in Germany;
Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani (BITS Pilani –
Hyderabad) in India; Jordan University of Science and Technology
(JUST) and Princess Sumaya University for Technology (PSUT) in Jordan;
Moscow Institute of Electronics Technology (MIET), Saint-Petersburg
Electrotechnical University (LETI), and Tomsk State University of
Control Systems and Radioelectronics (TUSUR) in Russia; King Abdullah
University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and King Fahd University
of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM) in Saudi Arabia; University of NiS in
Serbi American University of Sharjah (AUS) in UAE; Kharkov National
University of Radio Electronics (KNURE) in Ukraine; San Francisco
State University (SFSU) in USA.

The Olympiad was conducted in two stages. The first stage, held
in the participants’ countries during September, involved a test
to establish a baseline. The second stage involved a challenging
contest consisting of advanced engineering tasks requiring complex
solutions. Of 349 participants in the first stage, 40 were qualified
to progress to the second stage, which was held on October 11 in
Yerevan at the Synopsys Armenia Educational Department (SAED). Of
these 40 contestants, 20 were from Yerevan, 3 were from Gyumri,
Armenia and 17 were from a variety of other countries.

The general organizers and sponsors of the Olympiad were Synopsys
Armenia CJSC and Vivacell-MTS. The Olympiad was also sponsored by
Unicomp CJSC, ‘Enterprise Incubator’ Foundation (EIF), ACBA-CREDIT
AGRICOLE Bank, Arminco CJSC, MICROSOFT RA, Viasphere Technopark
CJSC, Union of Information Technology Enterprises (UITE), Union of
Manufacturers & Businessmen of Armenia (UMBA), ARKA Agency, Yerkir
Media TV, Mediastyle Holding, ‘Business Express’ Weekly, ‘ECOnomika’
Magazine, ‘168 Hours’ Daily and Public Radio of Armenia.

Gala Evening for the Champions

The winners of the Sixth Annual International Microelectronics Olympiad
of Armenia were presented with prizes at the Synopsys Gala Evening &
Reception held on October 12 at the Yerevan Chamber Music Hall after
Komitas arrangements. The winners are:

First prize – Notebook computer from Vivacell-MTS went to Hasmik
Osipyan (Armenia)

Second prize – iPad from Synopsys Armenia went to Mohamed Abu Obaida
Mohamed (Saudi Arabia)

Third prize (tie) – Netbook from Enterprise Incubator Foundation (EIF)
went to Vache Galstyan (Armenia); and Netbook from Unicomp CJSC went
to Roza Bejanyan (Armenia)

Best Engineering Solution – prize from Viasphere Technopark went to
Zubov Igor (Russia)

Best Out-of-the-Box Solution – prize from Union of Manufacturers &
Businessmen of Armenia (UMBA) went to Renju Raju Thomas (Germany)

Most Creative Solution – prize from Union of Information Technology
Enterprises (UITE) went to Hamlet Aslanyan (Armenia)Best Female
Participant – prize from Arminco CJSC went to Tatevik Khalapyan
(Armenia)

Youngest Participant – prize from MICROSOFT RA went to Hovik Vardanyan
(Armenia)

Best Result from each Country- prizes from Olympiad Org Committee went
to: Renju Raju Thomas (Germany), Sumit Kumar Kulshreshtha (India),
Waseem Al-Akel (Jordan), Volobuev Pavel (Russia), Mohamed Abu Obaida
Mohamed (Saudi Arabia), Dusan Petrovic (Serbia), Govind Vijayakumaran
(UAE), Rybak Andrii (Ukraine), Aliaksandr Kastrou (Belarus), Puneet
Pawar (USA)

Winners of this year’s Presidential Educational Award, the Best
IT Managers Award, and the Annual International Microelectronics
Olympiad of Armenia were also invited to celebrate at the Gala,
which concludes Synopsys Week in Armenia.

‘The growth of the Olympiad shows the increasing influence of Armenia
as a center for Microelectronics,’ said Rich Goldman, president of
the organizing committee of the Olympiad, chief executive officer
of Synopsys Armenia CSJC, and vice president of corporate marketing
and strategic alliances at Synopsys. ‘This year we welcomed fifteen
students and young engineers from a dozen different countries who
travelled to Yerevan to participate in the Olympiad. It is extremely
rewarding to work with these bright engineers from around the world,
and to give them an opportunity to interact with each other in
Armenia.’

‘It’s encouraging to see the progress year by year of the Annual
International Microelectronics Olympiad of Armenia in both quantity
and quality of participants from diverse countries,’ said professor
Vazgen Melikyan, president of the program committee of the Olympiad,
director of Synopsys Armenia Educational Department, head of the
interfaculty chair of SEUA Microelectronic Circuits and Systems,
and honorable scientist of RA. ‘This is proof that the goals of the
Olympiad are achievable. We’ve identified some of the brightest talent
for the IT industry.’

‘The International Microelectronics Olympiad organized in Armenia
provides an excellent opportunity for promising young IT students
to test our knowledge, exchange experiences with our peers and
contribute to the further development of this strategic sphere,’ said
Artak Hayrapetyan, SEUA 2nd year master student at Synopsys Armenia
Educational Department, previous intern and current R&D engineer at
Synopsys Armenia.

‘The gala evening is the traditional closing event of Synopsys Armenia
Week,’ said Hovik Musayelyan, director of Synopsys Armenia. ‘We
honor the winners of the Olympiad and Presidential Educational Awards
with respect and applause. This year we added the Best IT Managers
awards to recognize the growing importance of IT in Armenia’s economic
prosperity. We welcome suggestions for new award categories for future
Synopsys Armenia Week events.’

The first Armenian Microelectronics Olympiad was held on September
22-26, 2006 with 82 participants. Since then, the event has grown to
include numerous award categories and nearly 350 participants from
11 countries.

About Synopsys Armenia CJSC and Synopsys, Inc.

Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq:SNPS) fuels innovation in the global electronics
market with software, systems, semiconductor IP and services that
address key design, verification and manufacturing challenges. A
leader in electronic design automation (EDA), Synopsys, established
a presence in Armenia in 2004 as Synopsys Armenia closed joint
stock company (CJSC). Synopsys Armenia CJSC provides R&D and product
support in EDA, design for manufacturing (DFM) and the development of
semiconductor intellectual property (IP). Employing several hundred
qualified Armenian engineers, Synopsys is one of largest IT employers
in Armenia. To encourage the highest levels of accomplishment for
students in IT, the company sponsors awards and competitions such
as the Annual Educational Awards of the Republic of Armenia (RA)
President, and the Annual International Microelectronics Olympiad
of Armenia. Synopsys Armenia’s investment in the community reaches
well beyond IT. In 2010, Synopsys in Armenia was recognized as one
of 12 finalists for the U.S. Secretary of State’s annual Award
for Corporate Excellence (ACE), citing the company’s technology
and financial leadership as well as its charity work and volunteer
activities. Synopsys Armenia CJSC is located in Yerevan. Synopsys,
Inc. is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and has
approximately 70 offices located throughout North America, Europe,
Japan, Asia and India. Visit Synopsys, Inc. and Synopsys Armenia
online at and

Synopsys is a registered trademark of Synopsys, Inc. Any other
trademarks or registered trademarks mentioned in this release are
the intellectual property of their respective owners.

Editorial Contact: Gayane Markosyan Synopsys Armenia Office: (374 10)
49 23 56 Mobile: (374 94) 49 22 04 [email protected]

[Editorial queries for this story should be sent to
[email protected] ]

S. MINASYAN: ALIYEV’S STATEMENTS UNPLEASANT FOR MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS

Panorama
Oct 18 2011
Armenia

“Ilham Aliyev isn’t likely to stop making such statements. Since
2003-2004 he has been repeatedly making the same statements, but
as we see, no war has resumed and no serious changes have been
materialized in the military balance,” said political expert Sergey
Minasyan to Panorama.am making remarks on Ilham Aliyev’s statement
that Azerbaijan’s military budget is growing.

The expert has said that all those statements are uttered in address
to the domestic audience.

“While the remarks of the foreign audience are more vivid, and now
the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs and the heads of the international
community stress that armed deal cannot serve as tools to resolve the
conflicts,” said the expert. “Aliyev’s statements will be unpleasant
for the Minsk Group co-chairs.”

ANCIENT CITY OF ANI VICTIM OF VANDALISM-EXPERT

news.am
Oct 18 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – An album dedicated to the history of Ani architecture
will be published on the occasion of 1050 anniversary of the ancient
Armenian city, expert on Armenian architecture Samvel Karapetyan said
at a press conference on Tuesday.

According to him, the book includes maps, 670 photos of religious
monuments, cemeteries, bridges and mills.

Turkish authorities do nothing regarding preservation of the city,
which is a historical heritage. The city partially became victim
of vandalism.

“French archeologist found ancient tombs of Armenian clergy in
2004-2005. However, when we visited Ani the next year, tombs were
destroyed in the territory of the museum,” Karapetyan said.

The expert believes that barbarism is a result of policy pursued
by Turkish authorities. They are constantly spreading rumors about
buried property in the Armenian cemeteries and churches. They claim
Armenians left it there when escaping from the territory of Turkey.

FUNERAL TO START FROM ARF BUILDING

05:58 pm | October 18, 2011 | Social

The funeral of the late French political figure Henri Sabi will be
held at Yerevan City Pantheon at 13:00 on October 19.

Henri Sabi was one of the political figures that was devoted to the
Armenian Cause and made efforts to protect the rights of Armenia,
Artsakh and all Armenians throughout his career in politics. According
to his will, the relics of his body will be buried in Yerevan and
Artsakh.

The funeral will start from the building of the ARF Supreme Body at
12:30, reports the ARF press service

CHARLES LONSDALE: ARMENIA’S AFFILIATION WITH CSTO DOES NOT IMPEDE COOPERATION WITH NATO

ARMENPRESS
October 18, 2011
YEREVAN

A series of classes entitled “NATO as an Element of Western Security
System” officially launched today at Yerevan State University’s Centre
for European Studies within the frameworks of NATO Week in Armenia.

The classes are implemented in YSU Center for European Studies by
the specialists of NATO Information Center.

Arthur Ghazinyan, director of the Yerevan State University’s Centre
for European Studies, said that the center is happy to replenish its
curriculum with a new subject, which will enable the students to have
more comprehensive idea of the European security system.

Director of NATO Information Center Ara Tadevosyan in his turn noted
that the classes are pilot now and are conducted once a week. Arthur
Ghazinyan and Ara Tadevosyan said that at the beginning of 2012 the
centers will assess the efficiency of the pilot program and will
consider their next steps.

According to Charles Lonsdale, Ambassador of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Northern Ireland to Armenia, there are still certain
stereotypes on NATO, and the goal of suchlike initiatives is to show
what North Atlantic Treaty presents itself, and how Armenia-NATO
partner relations are developing.

The Ambassador stressed that Armenia’s affiliation with CSTO does
not impede development of partner relations with NATO.

INSTALLATION OF WATER METERS AT FISH FARMS IN ARMENIA WILL NOT AFFECT PRICES OF FISH PRODUCTS

/ARKA/
October 18, 2011
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, October 18. / ARKA /. Installation of water meters at fish
farms in Armenia will not affect the prices of fish products, Arthur
Atoyan, the executive director of the Association of Armenian Fish
Farms, said today. According to him, prices may rise only if the
price of water is raised.

Atoyan said 108 fish farms of 124 which are members of the Association
have installed water meters. He said the original concerns caused by
the government order that all fish farms must install water meters
has passed after the government allowed that farms may themselves
choose their water meters and installation method.

“It has allowed to reduce the supposed cost of the installation of
water meters eight times and we have chosen the most effective and
cheapest method,” Atoyan said.

According Atoyan, officially there are 254 fish farms in Armenia of
which 234 in the Ararat valley, but some of the farms ceased operations
and actually only 190 are operating.

The government of Armenia adopted last year a decision on conducting
inspections and installment of water meters on deep wells. The decision
was prompted by the fact 2000 of 3,500 deep wells are illegal.

This caused the displeasure of fish farmers, but after meeting with
prime minister Sarkisian the problem was resolved. Sarkisian promised
that the government will take into account the difficulties at each
fish farm in order to create favorable conditions for fish farming
and make it less costly.