Author: Tatoyan Vazgen

GOVERNMENT OF ARMENIA TO ALLOCATE STATE CREDIT TO THE SUM OF $44 MLN TO THREE ARMENIAN MINING AND CONCENTRATING COMPANIES

ArmInfo
2009-06-26 15:03:00

ArmInfo. The government of Armenia will allocate a state credit to the
sum of $44 mln to three Armenian mining and concentrating companies,
such a decision was made on Friday during a visiting session of
the government to Syunik region, Finance Minister of Armenia Tigran
Davtyan told journalists in Syunik.

According to him, the funds will be allocated from the Russian
stabilization credit to the sum of $500 mln provided to Armenia. The
government will give $15 mln to ‘Zangezur Mining’ and Armenian
Molybdenum Production (AMP) companies each for 5 years at LIBOR+7%
rate per annum. The stage credit to $14 mln wll be extended by the
government to Agarak Copper-Molybdenum Complex for 4 years at LIBOR+8%
rate per annum. ‘The ore mining industry of Armenia plays an important
part in the country’s economy, and the state is ready to do its best to
support the basic enterprises of the industry to overcome the crisis’,
the minister said.

To note, ‘Zangezur Mining’ Company and AMP have 12,5% shares of
‘Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Complex’ (ZCMC) each. Agarak CMC belongs
to GeoProMining Group of Companies.

ARMENIA, GEORGIA TIED BY CENTURIES-OLD FRIENDSHIP
Alisa Gevorgyan

"Radiolur"
25.06.2009 11:10

"Short ago we have concluded negotiations with the President of
Georgia and his delegation. We’ve discussed a wide range of bilateral
relations, exchanged views on pressing regional and international
issues. The two sides underlined that our relations are on a high
level," Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said at a joint press
conference with his Georgian counterpart Mikhail Saakashvili.

"Few peoples in the world can take pride in deep, lasting, and friendly
relations such as those between the Armenian and Georgian people. It
would be redundant to speak about the importance of our countries
for each other for security, policy, economy, culture or any other
matter. And I am confident, that one of the main concerns of the
Presidents and the governments of our two states should be elevating
the level of interstate relations to that of the centuries-long
relations of our peoples. I should say that during our meeting with
President Sahakashvili I got the impression, or I would rather say,
I am confident that he shares this approach for which I am truly glad,"
President Sargsyan said.

According to Serzh Sargsyan, special attention was paid to regional
security issues. "The Armenian side has said it before on many
occasions and continues to believe that all exciting problems should=2
0be solved exclusively through a dialogue, through shared confidence,
mutual respect and cooperation in the region. We welcome any step
toward the creation of the favorable atmosphere in the region. In
the context of bilateral relations, we have paid special attention
to the deepening of economic cooperation and implementation of joint
projects. We hope that it will assist in mitigating the consequences
of the global financial and economic crisis for Armenia and Georgia,"
President Sargsyan noted.

Armenia attaches great importance to the transportation routes via
Georgia which are of significant importance for our economy. With
this regard President Sargsyan expressed Armenia’s interest in the
expeditious reopening of the checkpoint on the Georgian-Russian border.

With regard to the issue Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said:
"We are ready to negotiate the issue with Switzerland, which acts as
mediator between Georgia and Russia. Several kilometers of the highway
are damaged, and we have started the reconstruction works. If we see
that Russia is ready to open its part of the road, we will also open
our part."

During the tête-a-tête meeting President Sargsyan informed his
Georgian counterpart about the current stage of the Karabakh
peace process, as well as the prospects for normalization of
the Armenian-Turkish relations and Armenia’s approaches on that
issue. "Our approach is clea r-cut: the relations must be normalized
without preconditions. Despite the existing problems the countries
of the region should find common ground for cooperation."

According to Serzh Sargsyan, Armenia is interested in having Georgia as
a peaceful, stable and prosperous neighbor with which we not only have
a common past but also a common future and this visit is an important
step toward strengthening and deepening traditionally friendly
relations and cooperation between our two peoples and two states.

AMBASSADOR YOVANOVITCH DISCUSSES U.S.-ARMENIA RELATIONS WITH STUDENTS

US State News
June 23, 2009 Tuesday 5:44 PM EST

YEREVAN, Armenia, March 3 — The U.S. Embassy issued the following
press release:

On March 3, Ambassador Yovanovitch led an active roundtable discussion
with 14 graduate students at the American University of Armenia,
one of the country’s leading academic institutions. The Ambassador
noted the impact of U.S. assistance to Armenia and stressed the need
for continued cooperation in the areas of economic development,
regional stability, and good governance. Students represented a
range of fields, including public health, law, political science,
and engineering. Ambassador Yovanovitch answered questions and
expressed support for participants’ eagerness to make a significant
contribution in their fields. Students indicated that their education
in an American environment has been tremendously beneficial to their
professional and personal development.

JOHN DEERE AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY WILL BE AVAILABLE TO ARMENIAN FARMERS: DEALERSHIP AGREEMENT SIGNED BETWEEN CARD AGROSERVICE, DEERE

US State News
June 23, 2009 Tuesday 5:46 PM EST

YEREVAN, Armenia, March 6 — The U.S. Embassy issued the following
press release:

Ambassador Marie L. Yovanovich spoke on March 6, 2009 at the signing
of a distributorship agreement between John Deere International
and CARD AgroService CJSC. According to the terms of the agreement,
CARD AgroService will sell and service John Deere machinery in Armenia.

In her remarks, the Ambassador noted that John Deere is one of the
largest and most respected companies in the world in the agricultural
machinery sector. This means that the world’s top quality, hi-tech
agricultural machinery is now available for Armenian farmers and
agribusinesses. Deere & Company, founded in 1837 (collectively called
John Deere), is a U.S.-based corporation that does business with 47,400
employees, with manufacturing operations in approximately 70 factories
in 14 countries around the world. The company continues to be guided,
as it has been since its beginning, by the core values exhibited
by its founder: integrity, quality, commitment and innovation. The
partnership with John Deere will enable CARD AgroService to introduce
top quality agricultural machinery to Armenia, thus increasing its
involvement in provision of high quality equipment and supplies. CARD
Agroservice links farms and agribusinesses with world leading farm
input and equipment producers by importing technologically advanced
farm equipment, tools and supplies, as well as agricultural inputs
including seeds and bovine semen, and distributes them throughout
Armenia and Georgia. CARD Agroservice also provides consultancy and
training on its products, before and after purchase.

AZERBAIJAN FM: STATEMENT BY ARMENIAN FM IS SURPRISING AND CONTRADICTING TO INTERNATIONAL ACTS

Today.Az
3308.html
June 22 2009
Azerbaijan

"The return of internally displaced persons, who were expelled from
their lands in the result of the ethnic cleansing by Armenia, has
always been on the agenda of the negotiation process", said spokesman
for Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Elkhan Polukhov, commenting on the
statement of Armenian FM Edward Nalbandyan that the return of refugees
to the occupied lands might be discussed only after the resolution
of the Karabakh conflict.

"Such statements by the high ranking Armenian official are surprising
for all negotiations on the resolution of the Karabakh conflict are
held for people suffering in the result of the aggressive actions
of the Armenian side to be able to return to the places of their
permanent residence and continue normal living", said Polukhov.

He said such statements by the Armenian Foreign Ministry completely
contradict to international legislative acts, including Helsinki act,
basic UN documents, Geneva convention "On protection of victims of
armed conflicts" and all other documents to protect human rights.

"Therefore, such statements of an educated man can cause nothing but
surprise. We believe the statement was just misinterpreted by the
Armenian mass medias like they usually do", concluded he.

TIGRAN SARGSYAN: NKR ECONOMY SHOULD DEVELOP FASTER THAT OF ARMENIA’S

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
22.06.2009 19:05 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Bridge Artsakh economic forum, initiated by the RA
Association of Industrialists and Businessmen and Master International
Integration Support Center, took place in Stepanakert June 20-21,
under NKR President’s patronage and government’s support, reported
the press office of the NKR MFA.

Over 300 businessmen from various countries, representatives of
official structures, and RA government’s delegation led by Prime
Minister Tigran Sargsyan participated in the unprecedented for
NKR event.

The forum, with its basic topic "State and Business: From Dialogue
to Cooperation", was aimed at attracting interest to the NKR economy,
in particular, to investing in it.

"As you know, after the imposed-on-us destructive war, our country’s
rehabilitation was constantly in the focus of Armenia’s and Diaspora’s
attention. Just thanks to the joint efforts, the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic could change for a short period and generally overcome
the consequences of the sharp humanitarian crisis and the post-war
hardships," NKR President Bako Sahakyan said in his opening remarks.

For his part, RA PM Tigran Sargsyan emphasized the importance of
on-site familiarizing with the economic situation and investment
facilities of NKR. He also stressed that, taking into account the
nationwide significance of Artsakh, the Armenian government should do
everything for intensifying the economic development of NKR and making
the living standards in Nagorno Karabakh higher than those in Armenia.

During the sectional meetings, various issues of up-to-date business
were discussed. The forum participants familiarized with the prospects
of economic development and the investment facilities of NKR. The
offered-at-the-forum ideas will be put into practice via specific
business-programs aimed at the development of local industry and
creation of new jobs.

On the sidelines of the forum, Mr. Sargsyan met with his counterpart
Araik Harutyunyan to discuss the current economic situation in Armenia
and measures to be taken to overcome the consequences of the crisis.

"NKR economy should develop faster that of Armenia’s," the Armenian
PM said.

MEETING BETWEEN FOREIGN MINISTERS OF TURKEY AND AZERBAIJAN WAS HELD

AZG Armenian Daily
23/06/2009

International

On Sunday evening a meeting was held between the Foreign Ministers
of Turkey and Azerbaijan, Ahmet Davutoglu and Elmar Mammadyarov,
Turkish news agency Cihan reported.

During dinner at a restaurant Beyti in Floriya, the part of a district
of Istanbul, were discussed the situation in Iran, the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, as well as other regional issues.

"As always, the meeting was held under the motto "One Nation, Two
States". We reviewed the status of negotiations between Azerbaijan
and Armenia, bilateral relations between our countries, which are
more prosperous in recent years, as well as other processes within
the region", told reporters after meeting Foreign Minister of Turkey.

"The meeting was unplanned"- Davutoglu said – "Turning back to Baku
after an official visit to Japan, Elmar Mammadyarov was delayed for
several hours in Istanbul with the result that we met".

"Iran is our very important neighbor. Stability in Iran has great
influence on the stability of the whole region. Turkey will support
every step taken in this direction", said Davutoglu, according to
Trend News.

IRAN PUTS BASIJ MILITIA AGAINST DEMONSTRATORS

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
20.06.2009 19:58 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On Saturday, special police forces were allocated
in the center Iran. They were blocking the region where Mousavi
supporters indented to hold a protest rally. The police does not
allow the entrance into the main street at Tehran University, where
demonstrators planned to gather.

As Guardian the British newspaper reported, Iranian leader Mir
Hossein Mousavi headed supporters’ rally to Iranian MFA. According to
information provided, he is accompanied by 10000 demonstrators. The
sources in the newspaper are named reliable.

According to Voice of Israel newspaper, police troops and
pro-governmental Basij militia, are located at the place of
demonstrators’ accumulation.

Meanwhile, Guardian Council, the highest legislative body of the state,
resolved on recounting 10 percent of election bulletins submitted at
June 21 Presidential Ålections. The bulletins will be chosen randomly.

Opposition candidates Mîusavi and Carroubi did not participate in
Council’s sitting.

American expert: Minsk Group has exhausted its potential

2009-06-21 10:08:00

ArmInfo. "The Minsk Group has exhausted its potential. A fault of the
Minsk Group process has been the inherent interests of all three
members", Senior Associate of the American Foreign Policy Council Wayne
Merry told ArmInfo.

According to the expert, if mediation were really intended, the
mediators should have been neutrals with no direct engagement with the
conflicting parties. The Minsk Group is somewhat like using a pair of
mothers in law to try to resolve a marital dispute.

"What is needed is old-fashioned great power collusion by Washington
and Moscow. Mediation is not enough. Armenian and Azeri political
leaders will need outsiders to blame for giving up the "national dream"
and accepting reality. Even if the two great powers cannot entirely
impose a peace, they can certainly move the parties away from the
status quo decisively in favour of compromise and settlement", the
American expert resumed.

The Epoch Times
June 19 2009

Civilian Cooperation Helps Make Peace Possible

An Israeli-Palestinian orchestra provides example of building ties in
midst of conflict

by Dr. César Chelala

Politicians make war. Peoples make peace. One can say that war is the
defeat of people by politicians. I have been to many countries at war
and witnessed its tragic consequences not to believe this historical
truth. And to believe, also, that creating an atmosphere of
cooperation and trust among people is the best way to achieve peace.

The confusing political situation following elections in Iran makes a
rapprochement between Americans and Iranians more necessary than
ever. And the same can be said about relations between Israelis and
Palestinians. A series of peace initiatives between civilian groups
from those countries should replace the present atmosphere of
antagonism and distrust. Civilian cooperation has already taken place
in the arts, health and social sectors of various countries. They
provide powerful examples for improving relations among them.

Music has been a messenger for peace between Israelis and
Palestinians. One initiative was developed by noted Israeli conductor
Daniel Barenboim and the late Palestinian scholar Edward
Said. Together they created the West-Eastern Divan orchestra (named
after an anthology of poems by Goethe), composed of both Israeli and
Arab musicians from different countries. As fire was raging in Gaza,
the orchestra was playing in Berlin, to wide acclaim.

Following the same principle, an inter-religious orchestra of Jewish,
Muslim and Catholic musicians was formed in Argentina, the first of
its kind in the country. The orchestra is the result of joint efforts
of a Catholic priest, Fernando Giannetti, Rabbi Sergio Bergman and the
president of the Argentine Islamic Center, Sumir Noufouri. Its
conductor is Sergio Gorelik, an Argentine musician with a
distinguished international career.

The potential of music is also shown by Noa, a Jewish Israeli singer
and Mira Awad, an Israeli Arab Christian, who are eager to show the
possibility of coexistence and collaboration between Jews and
Christian Arabs by singing together. Their moving rendition of the
Beatles hit `We can work it out’ exemplifies the possibilities of
collaboration between people of different religious background.

Health has also been a powerful vehicle for collaboration between
antagonistic parties. Several projects are presently being carried out
between Palestinian and Israeli doctors that make it possible to serve
sick people who cannot afford medical attention. These initiatives are
an addition to several Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups and
grassroots organizations working to improve the health and well being
of Palestinians.

A recent report by Susan J. Blumenthal and Stephanie Safdi entitled
`Peace Through Health’ from the Center for the Study of the Presidency
Project identified ongoing health projects in the region. It also
contributed to the development of a cooperative network of Palestinian
and Israeli health experts and provided recommendations for improving
health in the area. The Palestine/Israel Health Initiative (PIHI) is a
central component of the Center for the Study of the Presidency’s
USAID-supported program `Advancing Trust and Reconciliation in Israel
and Palestine.’

`It may at first seem unrealistic to speak about healing across the
Israeli-Palestinian divide,’ said Dr. Norbert Goldfield, Executive
Director of Healing across the Divides, a charitable organization that
began operations in 2005. Healing Across the Divides (HATD) adapts the
`peace building through health’ ideology by funding community-based
health improvement projects for both Israelis and Palestinians. As
Dr. Goldfield stated, `We aim to contribute to peace building with a
small `p’ by encouraging groups of Americans to listen and learn from
the conflict-related challenges faced in improving health.’

It can be rightfully argued that these initiatives, by themselves,
will not produce peace. They will create, however, the groundwork for
make peace a lasting state.

Peace will not be achieved overnight. It is only through incremental
steps that reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians will take
place. `As a Jewish-American health professional, I have a moral and
political obligation to help improve the health of these two peoples
in a manner that can contribute to peace-building,’ said
Dr. Goldfield.

Similarly, in the long history of animosity between Turks and
Armenians summer camps between Armenian and Turkish children are
contributing to eliminate that powerful dynamic of distrust between
both peoples. On a visit to Armenia I was able to see how eager
children and adolescents are for further similar exchanges with their
Turkish counterparts.

President Obama has insisted on allowing diplomacy to dictate the
future course of action with Iran. But for diplomacy to be truly
effective, knowledge and understanding among Americans and Iranians
must be simultaneously fostered through civilian exchanges and
cooperation.

Iran is a proud nation with a rich cultural history. Once the turmoil
of recent elections is over, exchanges should be promoted between
Iranian and American doctors, scientists, artists and sports role
models to cement that climate of understanding. It is now time to
change the empty words of politicians for the peaceful actions of the
people.

Dr. César Chelala is a co-winner of an Overseas Press Club of
America award.

ew/18341/