Author: Talalian Arpi

RUSSIA TO PROVIDE ARMENIA WITH A LOAN WORTH $500 MLN

ArmInfo
2009-05-20 19:33:00

ArmInfo. Russia and Armenia have signed an agreement on provision of
a loan worth $500 mln, RBC reports.

The document was signed by Russian Vice Premier, Finance Minister
Aleksey Kudrin and Armenian Finance Minister Tigran Davtyan. A.Kudrin
told journalists, the loan is provided at LIBOR+3% rate, which
corresponds to approximately 4% p.a. The loan is provided for 15
years. A 5-year grace period for payment of the principal amount of the
loan is stipulated. "Actually, only the interest will be paid now",-
Kudrin said.

For his part, T.Davtyan stressed that the funds will stimulate the
economy of the country and its further development. In particular,
it is envisaged to allocate funds for infrastructure projects and
support of small and medium business. At the same time, Kudrin pointed
out that other countries also apply to Russia for loans. The minister
recalled that Ukraine has already applied with such a request.

The finance minister stressed that in 2009 Russia will provide a number
of countries with loans for construction and development of nuclear
power plants. According to him, consultations are currently being held
to allocate funds for China and India to develop the nuclear power
plants. "There are similar projects in Bulgaria and Belarus, however,
no final decision taken on any of these countries",- Kudrin said.

KILLED FOR PREVIOUS OFFENSIVE REMARK

A1+
07:21 pm | May 19, 2009

On May 9, Seda Beglaryan, 45, left her house at 10 a.m. and did
not return.

On May 18, a criminal case was instigated based on the points stated
in the 1st part of Article 104 of the RA Criminal Code at the Nor
Nork investigative department on the occasion of the fact that Seda
Beglaryan was missing.

On May 18, Vachagan G. (born in 1959), was arrested due to
suspicions. Vachagan confessed that on May 9 at 12:30 pl.m. he had
met the woman on a bridge near the Galshoyan Street, beaten her for
an offensive remark made before and and choked her. After that, he
transferred her to the cemetery located in the Jrvezh village with
his GAZ-24 brand name car.

The body of Beglaryan was found in the site pinpointed by Vachagan
G. and was transferred to the morgue.

Preliminary investigation is underway.

REV. GDANIAN CELEBRATES 60 YEARS
By Dave Canfield

Troy Record
s/doc4a119d750c566617503062.txt
May 18 2009

WATERVLIET – When Charlotte Sevazlian, a lifelong member of St. Peter
Armenian Church, was married many years back, the church’s father
gave a sermon during the service. In speaking, Father Garen Gdanian
seemed to know everything about her.

"He knew more about me than I knew about me," said Sevazlian, who
now chairs the church’s women’s guild.

But that came as no surprise to her. That’s the kind of spiritual
leader the priest, now 84, is. But he’s more than that, she said. "He’s
not just a spiritual leader; he’s a friend, too. He cares about
his people."

Gdanian led the church for 19 years before retiring in 1989. Born in
Syria and educated in Jerusalem, Beirut and Cambridge, Mass., he has
remained in the Capital District since retirement and is still active
in the church he helped grow over the years.

On Sunday, at least 200 members filled the auditorium named for him
in the church, on Troy Schenectady Road, to honor his 60 years of
service to the Armenian diocese.

Gdanian now holds the title of pastor emeritus at the church. Since
retirement, he still travels on behalf of the diocese and always
participates at St. Peter when in town. He has even filled in and
performed the entire Sunday service if the man holding his old role –
currently Father Bedros Kadehjian – is unavailable, Sevazlian said.

"He’s very active," she said. "He’s on the altar every Sunday when
he’s with us."

"He still serves us," seconded Paul DerOhannesian, another lifelong
member who first met Gdanian when he made a visit to the church before
becoming its pastor. "That is certainly a luxury for this parish, and
I think it’s one of the reasons we’ve been as successful as we are."

St. Peter was located on Fifth Avenue in Troy when Gdanian arrived
in 1970 after serving in Massachusetts and New York City. He joined
a church in transition: it moved across the Hudson to its current
location, on a quiet hilltop surrounded by trees and hidden from the
road, the same year.

Gdanian described his years with the diocese as quite a journey,
and said his initial involvement upon arriving in the U.S. benefited
from a clash of cultures.

"It’s never easy, but we survived," he said. "Sixty years is not a
small thing. I learned a lot. When you are from overseas, you have
to learn things."

Many of those lessons learned are detailed in a collection of short
essays Gdanian has written, called "My Joys and Sorrows as a Parish
Priest." One of several books he has published, it details his humble,
earthly demeanor and his concern for those facing problems.

His respect for all people is apparent. In a story discussing how he
and other clergy would meet in a room donated by Samaritan Hospital
in the psychiatric ward, he described the patients: "The patients
there were harmless and on medication. They would walk around and
continuously talk. Some of them expressed wiser opinions than those
who were supposed to be sane."

When Sevazlian was a child, she said the pastor would often attend
meetings of the church’s youth groups and express his interest.

"He was a guiding light through my teen years," she said.

DerOhannesian said the man honored Sunday is not much different than
the man who visited the Fifth Avenue church many years ago.

"He’s the embodiment of the spiritual pastor, a priest who tends to
the needs of families," he said.

SWISS MFA STATE SECRETARY INFORMED BAKU OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH TALKS

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
18.05.2009 20:24 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Azeri FM Elmar Mamdyarov met with State Secretary
Michael Ambukh in Baku. The goal of the visit was to enable discussions
on regional and global issues between Baku and Yerevan.

During his visit, Ambukh also informed Mamedyarov of his country’s
involvement in Armenian-Turkish talks, Azerbaijani APA agency reports.

In April 2008, Switzerland acted as mediator in Armenian and Turkish
dialogue, helping both countries carry out intensive work towards
bilateral ties normalization and development in the atmosphere of
friendly relations and mutual respect, at the same time contributing
to the establishment of peace, security and stability in the region,
runs the joint statement of Armenian and Turkish Foreign Ministries
and Swiss Foreign Affairs Department.

Both parties achieved tangible success and mutual understanding,
and agreed upon bilateral ties normalization. In that context, they
signed the road map. Such coordinated principles ensure positive
prospect for continuing the process.

DESPITE TURKEY’S PRECONDITIONS, ARMENIA STILL HOPEFUL ON UNCONDITIONAL TIES

rkeys-preconditions-armenia-still-hopeful-on-uncon ditional-ties/
May 18th, 2009

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)-Official Yerevan remains hopeful that Turkey will
agree to unconditionally normalize relations with Armenia, Foreign
Minister Eduard Nalbandian said over the weekend.

Speaking at an international conference on regional security issues
held in Yerevan, Nalbandian insisted that the governments of the two
nations have made substantial progress towards the opening of the
Turkish-Armenian border "without preconditions" in their fence-mending
negotiations.

"The ball is in the Turkish side now," he said. "And we hope that
they will find the wisdom and the courage to make the last decisive
step. We wish to be confident that the necessary political will can
eventually leave behind the mentality of the past."

The remarks came the day after Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan once again made clear that his country will not establish
diplomatic relations and reopen the border with Armenia as long as
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict remains unresolved. Erdogan explicitly
reaffirmed that linkage also during his visit to Azerbaijan earlier
in the week.

"Occupation of Karabakh is the cause here and closing of the border
is the effect. It is impossible for us to open the border unless that
occupation ends," he told a joint news conference with Azerbaijan’s
President Ilham Aliyev.

Nalbandian and President Serzh Sarkisian said on Thursday that such
statements can only undermine the Karabakh peace process. But they
declined to comment on implications of Erdogan’s stance for the
success of the year-long Turkish-Armenian rapprochement.

In his speech, Nalbandian described relations with Turkey and the
unresolved Karabakh conflict as the two main security challenges
facing Armenia. "These challenges are different, and by no means
interconnected, even if some would like to see a linkage or parallelism
in their resolution," he said.

The Armenian president is facing growing domestic criticism over
his conciliatory overtures to Ankara. The Armenian Revolutionary
Federation says Sarkisian has helped the Turks scuttle an official
U.S. recognition of the 1915 Armenian genocide while failing to secure
the lifting of Turkey’s 16-year economic blockade of Armenia. The
government’s approach to the talks with Turkey, according to the ARF,
have also given Ankara a chance to manipulate the Nagorno-Karabakh
peace process by positioning itself as an actor in the negotiations.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Giro Manoyan, the ARF’s political
director, urged the Armenian authorities to pull out of talks
with Turkey before it is too late, stressing that it is becoming
increasingly evident that the so-called "roadmap" discussions with
Turkey are proceeding with preconditions, despite continuous claims
by the government of the contrary.

The Armenian leadership should immediately withdraw from the "roadmap"
talks and pursue a policy, vis-a-vis both Karabakh and Turkey,
that guarantees Armenian national interests and security, Manoyan
said, adding that Armenia should not fall prey to the fallacy that
if it pulls out from the talks it will lose credibility within the
international community.

GALUST GULBENKIAN FOUNDATION DONATES USD 50 000 TO ARFD ARCHIVES

ARKA
May 15, 2009

Montebello, May 15, Noyan Tapan – Armenians Today. Galust Gulbekian
foundation will donate USD 50 000 to ARFD Archives organization. Thanks
to that donation ARFD Archives will be completed with new equipment
and increase efficiency of their work, said the director of ARFD
Archives Vache Brutian.

EUROVISION’S GRAND FINAL TONIGHT: ARMENIA REPRESENTED BY INGA AND ANUSH

armradio.am
16.05.2009 15:20

Today at 21:00h CET (00:00h Yerevan time) the Grand Final of the
54th Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Moscow’s gigantic
Olimpiyskiy Arena, official website of the Eurovision 2009 Song
Contest informs.

25 singers and groups from 25 countries have qualified for Europe’s
favorite music show.

There have been some changes in the voting of the 2009 Eurovision
Song Contest Final as for the first time in years, the winner won’t
be decided solely by televote. In contrast, a mixture of 50% televote
and 50% jury will be used.

For this purpose, national juries consisting of 5 music experts have
gathered in the 25 participating countries that will rank the songs in
Eurovision style, giving 12 points to their favorite song, 10 points
to their second favorite etc. The results of the 5 jury members will
then be added up and will account for 50% of the country’s votes. Those
results will then be combined with the televote results.

This year Armenia is represented by sisters Inga and Anush. They will
perform 9th in the Grand Final.

CORNET-AM TO PROVIDE PTSN

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
15.05.2009 22:43 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Public Services Regulatory Commission
(PSRC) has granted a PTSN license to Cornet-AM.

"Preliminary agreements have been already achieved," Cornet-AM Director
General Boris Demirkhanyan told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

Cornet-AM will cover Yerevan and 18 other cities 20 km distant from
the capital.

"We will do our best to offer flexible and competitive to our
subscribers," Demirkhanyan said.

ARMENIAN PEOPLE KNOW THE PRICE OF PEACE

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
15.05.2009 23:37 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Unity of Europe seemed to be a wishful thinking
several dozens of years ago. Today, Armenia makes its contribution to
European security and builds its peaceful future, RA Foreign Minister
Edward Nalbandian said Friday during a reception on occasion of Day
of Europe.

"Armenian people do know the price of peace and our achievements are
evident. We are grateful to Europe for its support," he said, adding
that Day of Europe is the holiday of peace which inspires hope for
secure future based on common values.

ERDOGAN BORDER WITH ARMENIA NOT TO OPEN BEFORE OCCUPATION ENDS

AssA-Irada
May 14 2009
Azerbaijan

Turkey will not open up its border with Armenia before the Armenian
occupation of Azerbaijani territories ends, Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after talks with President Ilham Aliyev
during a visit to Baku on Wednesday. Erdogans comments came during
a joint news conference with Aliyev in reply to a question on the
possibility of re-opening the border, which has been shut since
1993 due to Yerevans policy of occupation and its claims on the
alleged World War I-era genocide in the Ottoman Empire. The Turkish
premier said he had consistently stated this view in his addresses
at international functions and repeatedly made it clear that Ankaras
position on the Garabagh conflict remains unchanged. I am telling
you this as Turkeys prime minister.

To my mind, no one can make more assuring expressions here. Turkey
closed its border with Armenia in 1993 due to the occupation of
Azerbaijans territories. And, so long as occupation persists, that door
will remain closed. Any speculations on this topic are unacceptable,
neither will this be accepted at all afterwards. Commenting on the
statement, President Aliyev said this was the best answer to a simple
question that Azerbaijan had asked of the Turkish authorities. He
stressed that speculating on the issue was currently out of place. I
appreciate both this question and the answer. There couldnt have
been a more open and clear-cut answer than this. It is known that
concerns have emerged to a certain extent among the Azerbaijani
public in the past months about the border opening. Standing here
before the Azerbaijani people today, I say that there is no room for
any doubts any more. The Turkish leadership has repeatedly clarified
this issue, and, today, Prime Minister Erdogan once again articulated
this in the best way possible, Aliyev said. There have been signs of
normalization in Ankara-Yerevan ties of late. Recent reports alleged
that the Turkish-Armenian border is expected to re-open soon, and
the governments of Turkey and Armenia agreed a road map in April,
which caused a cool-down in Baku-Ankara relations. However, Ankara
immediately assured Azerbaijan that its allys interests are among
its priorities. The Turkish premier said prior to leaving for his
first visit to Baku since the roadmap agreement that it aimed to
eliminate misunderstandings and false impressions. Prior to the press
conference, Aliyev and Erdogan held a one-on-one meeting, followed by
broad discussions. During the private meeting, the two mulled prospects
for expanding Azerbaijani-Turkish relations in the political, economic
and other fields, as well as regional and international issues. During
the broad discussions, the Azerbaijani leader regarded his meeting with
Erdogan as very efficient. Aliyev noted that Baku-Ankara relations were
multi-faceted and had abundant history. He emphasized that Azerbaijan
and Turkey have combined their potential as two independent states
and are working to further expand their ties. Baku attaches great
importance to the visit by the Turkish head of government. Such
meetings strengthen the steps being taken toward the future of
our cooperation. The Turkey-Azerbaijan relations are continuously
developing and are highly assessed. I am content with the talks, the
conversation we had. I believe that sincere conversations have brought
clarity to a number of issues. Erdogan, for his part, said his meeting
with President Aliyev was a due response to those trying to cast a
shadow on the historical partnership between Turkey and Azerbaijan,
a friendly and fraternal state. This is the most important issue in
our discussions. The one nation, two states notion lies at the core of
our relations. Just how sensitively Azerbaijan approaches the Garabagh
problem, we approach it the same way. We will not accept the false
views being stated in this regard, Erdogan said. The Turkish prime
minister arrived in the Azerbaijani capital on Tuesday evening. He
is accompanied during the visit by his spouse Emine Erdogan, as
well as a number of members of his newly-formed cabinet, including
the ministers of foreign affairs, transport, energy, and culture and
tourism. Prior to holding official meetings, Erdogan paid tribute in
the morning hours to the grave of the Azerbaijani national leader,
former President Heydar Aliyev at the Alley of Honors, the Alley of
Martyrs, the cemetery where Garabagh war victims were laid to rest,
as well as the monument to Turkish soldiers. Further, he visited the
Mosque of Martyrs, a Turkey-built shrine located in the area of the
Alley of Martyrs, which is frequented mostly by his countrys believers,
and enquired about the repair and restoration work underway at the
site. The Turkish premier wrapped up his visit by making an address
at the Azerbaijani parliament. Erdogan emphasized that some hostile
forces are seeking to harm the brotherly Turkey-Azerbaijan relations
on the basis of false reports. He noted that the recent tensions
had been caused by a false report posted in the Armenian section of
a website alleging that Ankara would back down from its demand on
liberating Upper Garabagh from occupation for the sake of normalizing
its relations with Yerevan. Dear brothers, even talking about Turkeys
relinquishing that condition sounds like major libel to us. I am
rejecting this slander once again in your presence, Erdogan said. He
added that after the mentioned report had been published, Turkish
officials made a number of relevant statements. However, reports
based on false information continued circulating, and the issue even
turned into a platform for waging a campaign against Turkey. Erdogan
explained the fact that details of the Ankara-Yerevan dialog are being
kept confidential with diplomatic norms. He reminded that under the
existing rule of diplomacy, the gist of talks is not disclosed until
a final result is achieved, and the same principle is being taken as a
basis in his countrys negotiations with Armenia. No one should conclude
from this that anything is being hidden from the public. Should one
believe the words of the prime minister or information posted on an
Internet site on any given issue? Erdogan queried. The Turkish premier
has left Azerbaijan for Poland. On Saturday, he is expected to head
to Sochi for a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.