Author: Talar Tumanian

ONCE AGAIN, QUEST FOR ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION BEGINS
By Michael Doyle

McClatchy Washington Bureau
6530.html
Feb 19 2010

WASHINGTON — The latest version of an Armenian genocide resolution is
on track to win House committee approval, but its long-term prospects
remain uncertain.

This plot is familiar. Some characters have changed. The denouement
is still to be determined.

On March 4, the House Foreign Affairs Committee is set to vote on a
resolution declaring that "the Armenian Genocide was conceived and
carried out by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923." Some consider
the resolution diplomatically dangerous, but vote-counters consider
committee passage a foregone conclusion.

"We are confident of a positive outcome," said Bryan Ardouny, executive
director of the Armenian Assembly of America. "We have a track record
of the committee approving the resolution in the past."

Typically, congressional committee chairs will only bring up measures
they are confident will pass.

Residents of California’s San Joaquin Valley, and other regions with
large Armenian-American populations, are watching all of the action
closely, and in some cases participating directly in it. The House
panel’s members include a number of resolution co-sponsors, including
Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno.

Advocates of the resolution say it’s important to account for the
Ottoman Empire killings and depredations that occurred during and after
World War I, when by estimates upward of 1.5 million Armenians died.

"Genocide is not something that can simply be swept under the rug
and forgotten, and our nation cannot continue its policy of denial
regarding the Armenian genocide," Costa said.

Approval by the 45-member House Foreign Affairs Committee, though,
is a far cry from getting the diplomatically dicey resolution through
the full 435-member House of Representatives.

Currently, for instance, the resolution has only 137 House co-sponsors,
far short of the 218 needed for House approval. The last time the
issue arose, in 2007, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declined to bring
the resolution to the House floor until it had the requisite 218
co-sponsors.

Opponents are bringing out their big guns, warning the resolution
would interfere with good diplomatic relations. Turkish and Armenian
negotiators last year agreed to a set of protocols designed to smooth
diplomatic relations, but the respective legislatures have not yet
formally ratified them.

"That would be jeopardized by a political act of passing this
resolution," said David Saltzman, chief counsel to the Turkish
Coalition of America. "Passage of this resolution would be a
potentially impenetrable hurdle (to reconciliation)."

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has likewise recently
denounced the resolution as doing serious harm to U.S.-Turkey
relations.

This plea of bad timing is one of the many familiar elements in the
Armenian genocide fight.

In 2007, the Bush administration successfully argued the resolution
would undermine the use of Turkish bases to resupply U.S. forces in
Iraq. In 2000, then-House Speaker Dennis Hastert killed the resolution,
citing "unusually tense" conditions in the Middle East.

High-powered lobbying is another familiar plot line.

Hastert is now registered as a lobbyist for the Turkish government.

His firm, Dickstein Shapiro, has been paid up to $45,000 a month
for its work on Turkey’s behalf, public records show. One-time House
Minority Leader Richard Gephardt is likewise a registered lobbyist
for Turkey.

Some hope the arrival of the Obama administration will shake up these
familiar faces and oft-heard arguments.

"A lot of things have changed," said Aram Hamparian, executive director
of the Armenian National Committee of America.

While they were in the Senate and campaigning, Hamparian noted,
President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton all endorsed Armenian genocide recognition.

Presidents, though, often back away from their campaign-season
Armenian genocide resolution pledges. Obama, for one, avoided
the term "genocide" in his presidential Armenia proclamation in
April. Reading between the lines, one might see further hints of a
pending administration retreat on the resolution itself.

"Our view is that the negotiations that have been taking place between
Turkey and Armenia offer a positive path for the future," Defense
Secretary Robert Gates said in early February. "Anything that would
impede the success of those discussions and negotiations I think is
objectionable. I would just leave it there."

Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry
3111 Los Feliz Avenue, #206, Los Angeles, CA 90039
Contact person: Dr. Frieda Jordan
Phone: (323) 663-3609
Email:[email protected]

ABMDR reception kicks off tenth-anniversary events in U.S.
Supporters celebrate decade of community outreach
and pledge to help expand registry

Los Angeles, February 15, 2010 – On the evening of February 9 the
Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry (ABMDR) kicked off its tenth-
anniversary celebrations in the United States with a reception held
at the landmark Phoenicia Restaurant in Glendale, California. The
event was attended by scores of supporters, volunteers,
representatives of community organizations, and guest of honor Krikor
Hovanessian, consul general of the Republic of Armenia in Los Angeles.

Prior to the event, an ABMDR delegation comprising Board members and
volunteers visited Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian and Archbishop
Hovnan Derderian at the Western Prelacy and the Western Diocese,
respectively. Both Archbishop Mardirossian and Archbishop Derderian
conveyed their blessings to the ABMDR team, wishing it great success
in all of its forthcoming endeavors, including tenth-anniversary
events and donor recruitments. In addition, both archbishops stated
their continuous support in facilitating the ABMDR’s outreach and
recruitment efforts through Armenian churches across California and
the West Coast.

At the jubilant kickoff reception on February 9, speakers enumerated
the ABMDR’s many achievements in the past decade and underscored the
critical need for expanding the registry’s ranks of potential bone
marrow stem cell donors.

In her opening remarks, Nectar Kalajian, ABMDR Board member and
master of ceremonies, informed the attendees that the reception came
on the heels of a major concert and donor-recruitment event held in
Artsakh on January 8, marking both the actual birthday and tenth
anniversary of the ABMDR.

`I joined the ABMDR after a young friend of my son was diagnosed with
leukemia and I became familiar with the registry’s life-saving
mission,’ Kalajian said. `Tonight, as we celebrate a wonderful
milestone, our tenth anniversary, we also renew our commitment to
significantly increasing the registry’s reach in the United States,
Armenia, Artsakh, and elsewhere.’

`As part of our continuing effort to serve Armenians throughout the
globe, we need to increase awareness of the ABMDR’s work across all
segments of Armenian communities, and particularly among the young
generation,’ Kalajian continued. `We need people to be aware of the
fact that becoming a bone marrow donor is not only extremely easy,
painless, and noninvasive, but can also be a profoundly rewarding
experience, as it may well save somebody’s life. The ABMDR is a
nonpartisan, nonpolitical organization; our only agenda is to save
lives.’

Kalajian’s address was followed by the screening of a short
documentary on the achievements and objectives of the ABMDR.
Milestones highlighted in the film included the growth of the number
of registered bone marrow stem cell donors (who recently passed the
15,000 mark), the presence of the ABMDR in 11 countries, and the
opening of the registry’s Stem Cell Harvesting Center in Yerevan last
year.

The only one of its kind in the Caucasus region, the center features
a state-of-the-art tissue-typing laboratory, and can store and
harvest stem cells provided by healthy bone marrow donors. The stem
cells subsequently can be utilized in transplants for patients
suffering from life-threatening blood-related diseases such as
leukemia and other cancers.

Next to take the podium was Consul General Krikor Hovanessian, who
congratulated the ABMDR on its tenth anniversary and reaffirmed the
Armenian government’s support of the registry’s mission. `While there
might be quite a few things that divide us as a nation, especially
lately, the ABMDR is a cause that decidedly unites every one of us,’
the consul general said. `I’ll be honored to be a soldier in that
cause and help generate support to ensure its continued development.’

Hovanessian’s remarks about galvanizing the worldwide Armenian
community were echoed by Dr. Frieda Jordan, president of the ABMDR
Board of Directors.

As she addressed the attendees, Dr. Jordan thanked the consul general
for the solidarity of the Armenian government and announced that she
and her colleagues have been invited to recruit the entire staff of
the Armenian Consulate as potential bone marrow donors. `Given its
life-saving mission, the ABMDR draws Armenians from all walks of life
and convictions, inspiring them to work together toward a higher
good,’ she said.

Dr. Jordan also spoke of the registry’s vigorous efforts to involve
the Armenian grass roots in its donor-recruitment and awareness-
raising activities. `We appeal to all Armenian schools,
organizations, and churches to open their doors to the work of the
ABMDR,’ she said. `The more the registry grows, the greater our
ability of saving lives will be. It’s as simple as that.’

Dr. Jordan concluded her remarks by thanking Ara Kalfayan, owner of
Phoenicia Restaurant, for hosting the reception and his continued
support of the ABMDR.

Throughout the reception, the ABMDR received commendations from
individual and institutional supporters alike. Among them was Arpi
Kestenian, director of Physician/Managed Care Engagement at Glendale
Memorial Hospital. `It is so wonderful to celebrate the tenth
anniversary of the ABMDR,’ Kestenian said. `Glendale Memorial
Hospital is extremely proud to have helped support the registry’s
recruitment and major fundraising events in the past ten years.
Today, as the ABMDR is very much poised to expand its donor ranks and
community outreach, we look forward to helping it reach its goals
through continued and even stronger and more productive collaboration.’

The evening’s last speaker was Carlo Manjikian, a young Los Angeles
leukemia patient who underwent a life-saving stem cell
transplantation when his sister was identified as a bone marrow match.

`I was extremely lucky,’ Manjikian said. `But so many Armenian
patients suffering from life-threatening blood-related diseases are
out of luck because they don’t have donor matches. This is why it’s
so vitally important to expand the ranks of the ABMDR. I’m a living
example of the effectiveness of bone marrow transplants, which are
vastly facilitated through the existence of registries such as the
Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry.’

The ABMDR has planned a series of tenth-anniversary events that will
be held throughout 2010. These events – which include a three-day
cruise, a wine-tasting reception, a walkathon, a Christmas boutique/
luncheon, and a comedy night – will seek to both recruit bone marrow
donors and garner support for a number of ongoing registry
objectives. According to Dr. Jordan, these comprise the establishment
of a dedicated stem cell transplantation center in Armenia, continued
donor recruitments in the United States, Armenia, Artsakh, and
elsewhere, and the creation of support groups in Australia, Egypt,
France, Latin America, and Russia.

About the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry: Established in 1999,
the ABMDR, a nonprofit organization, helps Armenians worldwide
survive life-threatening blood-related illnesses by recruiting and
matching donors to those requiring bone marrow stem cell transplants.

To date, the registry has recruited over 15,000 donors across three
continents, identified 1,305 patients, found 1,033 potential matches,
and facilitated nine bone marrow transplants.

For more information, call (323) 663-3609 or visit abmdr.am.

# # #

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT: WHENEVER ONE REFERS TO THE MOUNTAINOUS KARABAKH CONFLICT, THE NOTION OF TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY SHOULD NOT BE EMPHATICALLY UNDERLINED

ArmInfo.
2010-02-10 20:41:00

ArmInfo. I urge everyone to exercise utmost caution when making
public statements on the problem of Mountainous Karabakh, President
of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan said during his speech in the Chattem House
British Royal Institute of International Affairs.

He also said that one should take into account all the dimensions,
possible consequences, and the perceptions of the sides, and always
rely on the positions of the organizations that are familiar
with the details of the problem and specialize in its peaceful
resolution: in this case, it would be the OSCE. The problem can only
be resolved in the context of the international law principles of the
self-determination of nations, territorial integrity, and the non-
use of force.

All the stakeholders now realize this truth. Whenever one refers to
the Mountainous Karabakh conflict, the notion of territorial integrity
should not be emphatically underlined, especially that even if that
notion is perceived to be the only one applying in the case of the
Mountainous Karabakh conflict, it would not lead to its application
in the form envisioned by Azerbaijan.

I would pose a rhetoric question to all who consider themselves
advocates of territorial integrity. Where were they when the
Soviet Union collapsed and the borders changed? Where were they
when Yugoslavia was falling apart? Why do you think that Azerbaijan
could secede from the USSR, but Mountainous Karabakh could not? Why
do you think that large empires should disintegrate, but small ones
should persevere? What is the basis? Instability? I cannot perceive
it. I do not accept it. Because unfair decisions are the very cause
of instability.

Azerbaijan has exhausted the resources of trust in terms of autonomous
status for minorities within its boundaries. It was not and is not
capable of providing guarantees of even internal security to such
autonomies. There was once another Armenian autonomy in Azerbaijan:
Nakhijevan. What happened to it? Not a single Armenian is left in
Nakhijevan. Can such guarantees be taken for granted?

You might say Azerbaijan was different then, and is different now.

During the last 18 years of that "difference" more Armenian and
Christian monuments were destroyed than in the preceding 70 years.

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT RATIFIES AGREEMENT WITH ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK ON $500 MLN FRAMEWORK FINANCING OF RENOVATION OF INTERSTATE ROADS

ArmInfo
2010-02-03 09:04:00

The National Assembly of Armenia has ratified the agreement with
the Asian Development Bank on framework financing worth $500 mln for
renovation of interstate roads with 106 votes "for", 5 "against" and
no . The funds will be allocated for development of the North-South
transport corridor including construction and repair of roads from
the southern border (with Iran), to the northern border (with Georgia)
of Armenia. Additional 462 mln USD will be allocated by the Armenian
government and Japan Agency for International Cooperation. 942 mln USD
of the total amount will be directed to development of the transport
corridor, 10 mln – to improvement of the border infrastructure and 10
mln – to institutional development. 60 mln will be allocated from the
ADB funds for 32 years at the interest rate of 1.5% p.a., the grace
period being the first 8 years at 1% p.a.

The conditions of provision of the rest of the funds will be determined
on the basis of LIBOR rate, the commission fee being 0.15% p.a. The
tranches will be provided till 2017.

The parliament also ratified an agreement on provision of the first
tranche worth 60 mln USD, the government’s co-financing being 10 mln
USD. 38 mln of this amount will be allocated for construction work,
7 mln – for institutional support, 10 mln – for taxes and customs
duties, 13 mln – for incidental expenditures, and 2 mln – for payment
of interests. Within the frames of the first tranche, it is envisaged
to rehabilitate 18.4 km section of the 4-strip highway between Yerevan
and Ashtarak, north of the capital, as well as to enhance the security
of the Yerevan- Ararat section, south of the capital. Within the
frames of the second tranche, it is envisaged to repair the 88 km
Ashtarak-Gyumri section and improvement of the border infrastructure.

Economy Minister of Armenia Nerses Yeritsyan presented the project
in the parliament and said that the government will receive at least
15 million dollars in terms of taxes from trade and growing export,
opening of new enterprises after the project is implemented, as well
as cut expenses thanks to reduction of transport expenses on the new
road. The program will be implemented maximum transparently for all
the parties interested. A number of parliamentarians asked if the new
highway will be paid. This issue has not been discussed yet, though a
concept of paid highways is currently being developed. However, it will
be discussed for over a year and all the parties interested will have
an opportunity to participate in the public hearings," Nerses Yeritsyan
said. He came out for creation of a cooperation model with a number of
local universities, including the American university in Armenia and
the State Engineering University of Armenia to educate new engineers.

Asian Development Bank reports that the transport corridor will
increase the cross-border commodity turnover in Armenia from 4.6
million ton/km yearly in 2008 to 10 million in 2017 and the load
of the North-South corridor from 3 to 6 thousand cars daily. The
passage time will be reduced from 3-4 to 2 days. The corridor will
meet 100km/h speed standard. In total 550 km highways will be repaired
under the program.

TCA Arshag Dickranian Armenian School
1200 N. Cahuenga Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90038

Tel: 323-461-4377
Fax: 323-323-461-4247
Contact: [email protected]

LINCY FOUNDATION DONATES $150,000 TO
T.C.A. ARSHAG DICKRANIAN ARMENIAN SCHOOL

Los Angeles, January 6, 2009 – In a letter dated December 22, 2009, The
Lincy Foundation approved a contribution in the amount of $150,000 to the
Tekeyan Cultural Association Arshag Dickranian Armenian School, enclosing
a check in full payment

`We are overjoyed and very grateful to the Board Members of The Lincy
Foundation for responding to our grant applications in such a timely and
generous manner`, said George K. Mandossian, chairman of the School Board
of Trustees.

Arshag Dickranian School has long been listed as a beneficiary of The
Lincy Foundation, its latest gift constituting the eleventh of such
contributions. In June 2008, the foundation’s president Mr. Jay Rakow and
senior vice president Mr. Harut Sassounian visited the school. The two
guests spent more than an hour meeting with the school trustees, gathering
first hand information about the school’s daily activities and touring the
campus.

The Lincy Foundation has long earned world wide acclaim for its diverse
and exemplary benevolence throughout the United States and Armenia.

Located at 1200 North Cahuenga Blvd., Los Angeles, the TCA Arshag
Dickranian Armenian School is a federally tax exempt, Pre-K to 12th grade
private educational institution. Visit for more
information.

Harvard to host `Politics and Past in Turkey and Japan’ International
Security Seminar
21.11.2009 15:09 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On December 3, Harvard’s Belfer Center for Science
and International Affairs will host `Let the Historians Decide?
Politics and the Past in Turkey and Japan’ International Security
Seminar.

Politicians in both Turkey and Japan have argued that the persistent
controversies over aspects of their countries’ pasts should be left to
the professional analysis and evaluation of historians. This seminar
will analyze the politics of the past in each of these states,
demonstrating the continued relevance of traumatic or shameful pasts
in each country’s politics and the ways in which domestic and
international considerations influence the shaping of official
histories.

TWO EARTHQUAKES REPORTED IN ARMENIA BETWEEN NOVEMBER 5 AND 11.

PanARMENIAN.Net
12.11.2009 18:23 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Two earthquakes of 3 and more points intensity have
been reported on the territory of Armenia between November 5 and 11,
National Service of Seismic Protection of Armenia told PanARMENIAN.Net.

The first earthquake having 3.4 points in the epicenter occurred on
November 8, four kilometers north of the village Ashotsk.

National Service of Seismic Protection of Armenia has denied rumors
that on November 9 at the border with Azerbaijan, the north-east of the
Armenian village Pambak seismic shock force of 3 points was recorded.

There was also an earthquake having 4 points 27-km north-east of the
city Dogubayazet in Turkey.

RA PRESIDENT VISITS KARABAKH

Information-Analytic Agency NEWS.am
Oct 21 2009
Armenia

RA President Serzh Sargsyan and Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan and
Nagorno-Karabakh (NKR) President Bako Sahakyan participated in the
house-warming ceremony of the officers in NKR Hadrut region.

NKR President’s Press Secretary David Babayan refused to disclose
details of RA President’s visit, however did not rule out the
possibility that Serzh Sargsyan might deliver a speech. According
to RFE/RL Armenian service, NKR and Armenian Presidents will hold
tete-a-tete meeting and visit Martuni region.

ARMENIA: KARABAKH TALKS POSES BIG CHALLENGE FOR ARMENIAN-TURKISH RAPPROCHEMENT
Haroutiun Khachatrian

Eurasia Insight
ticles/eav100609a.shtml
10/06/09

Recent comments by Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan on the status of
the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh suggest that the peace
process remains at an impasse. That, in turn, could complicate
Armenian-Turkish reconciliation efforts.

In a September 21 interview with the Russian state-run RTR television
channel, Sargsyan for the first time publicly voiced Yerevan’s
interpretation of the so-called Madrid Principles, which contain a
framework for an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace pact on Karabakh.

The Principles, first proposed in late 2007 by mediators Russia,
France and the United States, call for the return of Armenian-occupied
regions surrounding Karabakh to Azerbaijan control; the return of
Azerbaijani Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to Karabakh; and,
finally, an agreement on a mechanism, likely a referendum, to decide
on the territory’s future status.

Sargsyan made clear that Armenia sees these steps happening in the
reverse order; namely, that both the handover of regions bordering
Karabakh to Azerbaijan and the return of Azerbaijani IDPs can occur
only after Karabakh’s final status is determined. To support his
position, Sargsyan argued that allowing IDPs to return before a
determination of the territory’s status was made "would cause new
clashes."

Sargsyan described the Madrid Principles as "the holding of a
referendum to define the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh, the
return to Azerbaijani control those territories which you named [as
under Armenian army control] and which Karabakh and we both call the
‘security zone,’ and the normalization of all our relations."

"My position has been expressed many times, including to [Azerbaijani
President] Ilham Aliyev and to the co-chairs [of the Minsk Group
overseeing the talks], and it amounts to the following. Of course, the
Azerbaijani refugees from Karabakh have the complete right to return
to their native places, their places of residence, but they can do
this after the final definition of the status of Nagorno-Karabakh,"
Sargsyan said. "Why? Because there has not yet been a single similar
conflict where the return of refugees ahead of time did not cause new
clashes. And we are heading toward a resolution — for the purpose
of what? For the purpose of peace, of stability, so that each person
will know where he will live."

Sargsyan expressed thanks to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev,
who, according to Sargsyan, had helped President Aliyev and him
"almost agree on the first point," which the Armenian leader earlier
listed as "the holding of a referendum to define the final status
of Nagorno-Karabakh."

How Sargsyan’s comments will impact Armenia’s budding reconciliation
with Turkey remains unclear. Turkish officials have repeatedly
stressed that Turkey will reopen its border with Armenia only if
progress acceptable to Baku is made on a Karabakh peace pact. Ankara
closed its border with Armenia in 1993 to support Azerbaijan in its
war with Armenia over the territory. [For background see the Eurasia
Insight archive].

"We will not take steps contradicting Azerbaijan’s interests," Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a September 28 interview
with Azerbaijan’s Trend news agency. "We can accelerate the process
of the adoption of the agreement [with Armenia], but that will depend
on the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict."

On October 10, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Armenian
Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian are scheduled to sign protocols
that set the stage for reopening the Turkish-Armenian border and
reestablishing diplomatic ties. [For background see the Eurasia
Insight archive].

Turkish officials, to date, have not reacted publicly to Sargsyan’s
RTR comments.

Azerbaijani leaders, however, have indicated that Sargsyan’s position
is a non-starter with Baku. In an interview with RTR during the summer,
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev asserted that if the issue of
Karabakh’s final status "is brought up again as a precondition for
coordination of positions, we will not achieve anything."

Aliyev named the withdrawal of Armenian troops from the regions
bordering Karabakh as "the first step." Discussion of Karabakh’s final
status can occur only after Azerbaijani IDPs return to the territory,
he emphasized.

Armenian officials have long insisted that the two issues — the
Karabakh peace process and Turkish reconciliation efforts — are
separate. The Minsk Group, the triumvirate of Russian, American and
French envoys overseeing the Karabakh negotiations, has echoed that
assessment.

Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment on
Sargsyan’s comments to RTR. "I can only remind you that Armenia
has always stressed that the core of the Karabakh problem is the
issue of Nagorno-Karabakh’s status," said ministry spokesperson
Tigran Balaian. The idea that a withdrawal should take priority over
determining Karabakh’s status is only the Azerbaijani point of view,
and one that is "not necessarily shared" by Armenia, he added.

Many Armenians continue to worry that the agreement on reconciliation
with Turkey includes a "hidden" condition that Armenia makes Karabakh
concessions. Sargsyan has dismissed that fear as groundless.

One political analyst termed Sargsyan’s interpretation of the Madrid
Principles "quite natural."

"The Madrid Principles by themselves are a very vague document and
allow [for] different interpretations," said Alexander Iskandarian,
director of Yerevan’s Caucasus Institute. "There is no surprise that
the sides interpret it in such a different manner."

"I think that the Karabakh settlement process has its own logic,
and it can be accelerated or delayed artificially," he continued.

Other aspects of the Karabakh talks also appear open to differing
interpretations. Speaking with members of Armenian Diaspora in Paris
on October 2, President Sargsyan stated that finding a resolution to
the Karabakh problem "still requires significant work." Reason exists
"to believe that signing an agreement about the resolution of this
problem is not realistic," Armenian news agencies quoted him as saying.

On the same day, speaking in Nakhichivan City in Azerbaijan,
Azerbaijani President Aliyev told Turkish President Abdullah Gul,
Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Kyrgyz President
Kurmanbek Bakiyev that talks with Armenia about Nagorno-Karabakh
"are in their final stage."

The two leaders will meet on October 8 in Chisinau, Moldova, for
additional discussions on the Karabakh issue.

Editor’s Note: Haroutiun Khachatrian is an editor and freelance writer
based in Yerevan.

ARMENIAN EXTERNAL DEBT RISES IN Q1

World Market Research Centre
Global Insight
June 3, 2009

Armenia’s external debt at the end of the first quarter of 2009
reached $1US.789 billion, ARKA News reports quoting figures published
by the country’s National Statistical Service. This result marks
an increase of 15.3% in annual terms. Government obligations made
up a share of some 78% of total foreign debt, rising by 1.3% in
annual comparison. Most of this is owed to international financial
organisations, with the World Bank the most important creditor,
followed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Among Armenia’s
bilateral creditors, Germany is the most important. In addition, it
was reported that, at the same time, Armenia’s domestic debt gained
around 12%, totalling 96.1 billion dram ($260US million) at the end of
the first quarter. Short-term government bonds contributed to around
28.5% of total internal debt.

Significance:As domestic financial markets remain relatively
undeveloped, and access to international credit markets also limited,
most Armenian debt consists of external obligations to multilateral
lenders, approved on concessionary terms. Armenia has been badly hit
by indirect effects of the global financial and economic crisis, as
availability of foreign investment and remittances has considerably
suffered, leading to rising financial and economic risks (seeArmenia:
24 March 2009:). To cover its wide external financing gap, Armenia
has sought credit from the IMF and Russia, and these provide for
important liquidity support (seeArmenia: 21 May 2009: andArmenia:
9 March 2009: ).