Author: Toneyan Mark

Panorama.am
12:50 13/03/2009

FILM ABOUT ARTSAKH AWARDED GOLDEN MIKE AWARDS

Radio&Television News Association of Southern California
() awarded Golden Mike Awards the documentary film
`Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh: Fighting for Independence’, reports the
press service of the Foreign Ministry of Nagorno Karabakh. The
co-author and the co-producer of the film Peter Musurlyan received the
award in `Universal Hilton’ hotel during the official award giving
ceremony.

Vardan Barseghyan, the Deputy Foreign Minister of NKR, who was the
permanent representative of NKR to U.S.A., is also the co-author and
producer of the film. The basic materials have been provided by Narine
Aghbalyan, the director of `Tsir Katin’ studio in Artsakh.

In September of 2008 the film was presented in the U.S. Congress
(Washington) where Congressmen, diplomats, experts and civil society
representatives were present.

`Golden Mike’ was founded 59 years ago by the Association and is the
most important award in the field of radio&TV journalism. CNN reporter
Larry King is one of the prize winners this year.

Source: Panorama.am

Today.Az, Azerbaijan
March 12 2009

Aydin Mirzazade: "In the near future I expect many Armenian soldiers
and even officers to pass the front line"

11 March 2009 [12:25] – Today.Az

The case of the passage of Armenians to the Azerbaijani side reflects
the economy, policy and statehood of Armenia, said Milli Medjlis
deputy, political scientist Aydin Mirzazade.

According to him, if a large group of Armenian soldiers passes to
Azerbaijan, it means that most Armenian soldiers are not animous
towards Azerbaijan.

"The policy of the country’s leadership obliges them to face
Azerbaijani soldiers in Karabakh.

On the other hand, the policy of the national elite of Armenia could
have led to such results. The territorial claims to neighbor states
and closing borders led to the collapse of Armenian economy. Adoption
of the militarized budget led to the expansion of social problems of
the country and to a greater crisis. One sixth part of the 3 bln
budget of Armenia is aimed to the military sphere. This is considered
a great figure in the world. If about 15% of the budget is directed to
the military sphere, this is already a militarized budget. Unless
Armenia releases our lands and does not stop fight with neighbors, it
will always have such problems and its population will suffer from it.

The passage of three Armenian soldiers to Azerbaijan is a serious
protest against the policy of the Armenian president and the political
elite of the country.In the near future I expect many Armenian
soldiers and even officers to pass the front line. Azerbaijan
demonstrate humanity towards these soldiers and this fact does not
remain unnoticed by other Armenian servicemen.

This plays a definite role for overcoming the last doubts. The case
must show to the Armenian powers to which their policy is leading and
what ordinary people want. The Armenian government does not settle the
problems of this country, it is multiplying it", concluded the
political scientist.

/Day.Az/

URL:

/Human-Rights-Green-committees-set-in-Easton

Huma n Rights, Green committees set in Easton
By Paula Vogler
Thu Mar 12, 2009, 12:44 PM EDT

Easton –
Easton selectmen established two new committees in town this week – a Human
Rights Committee and Green Communities Committee.
The Human Rights Committee replaces the No Place for Hate Committee, which
was disbanded in February after the Anti Defamation League, their sponsor,
refused to fully recognize the Armenian genocide that that killed up to 1.5
million ethnic Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire during and after
World War I.
Corona said the Human Rights Committee will seek input and participation
from the community. They will also work to educate residents and organize
community events to promote diversity and tolerance.
`Anyone who thinks we don’t have issues in this community doesn’t have
issues themselves,’ Corona said. `I have been disappointed with those
comments because that’s not the reality of Easton.’
The Green Communities Committee will aim to educate the community on the
benefits of energy and resource conservation. The group will also look into
funding sources to encourage energy efficiency, renewable energy development
and reduction of resources used, selectmen said.

Mediamax, Armenia
March 6 2009

OSCE official on ways of fighting economic crisis in Armenia

Yerevan, 6 March: Armenia had an extremely vulnerable economic model
before the crisis, the head of the OSCE office in Armenia, Sergey
Kapinos, said today [on 6 March].

Speaking at the conference "The crisis: Russian and Armenian
versions", Kapinos said that dependence on transfers and imports of
goods hindered the development of the country’s economy.

"Middle class never emerged in Armenia and the polarization of incomes
is growing", Kapinos said, noting the need for comprehensive economic
reforms, investments in science and education, and in structural
changes in Armenia’s economy.

Kapinos noted the importance of small and medium businesses for the
development of Armenia’s economy, proposing that it is granted tax
benefits under the conditions of crisis. The ambassador added that
Armenia had problems of economic competition, urging the authorities
to fight "restrictions in trade".

"Efficiency of measures to support small and medium businesses is
minimum without fighting monopolism," Kapinos said.

He underlined the need for qualitative improvement in Armenia’s
business environment, saying that Armenia was at "impermissibly low
positions" according to some business environment indices.

The head of the OSCE office in Armenia said [Armenia’s] state budget
resources "will obviously not suffice" for the implementation of
measures to fight the crisis. At the same time, he welcomed the
government’s steps to attract foreign resources, reiterating the need
for their "reasonable and efficient use".

Central bank of Armenia keeps refinancing rate unchanged at 7.75% p.a

YEREVAN, March 11. /ARKA/. The Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) made a
decision to keep the refinancing rate unchanged ` at 7.75% p.a., the
CBA Press Servcie reported.

According to the CBA Board, assessments of inflationary pressures due
to weakening of the national currency made at the CBA Board meeting of
March 23 were realistic.

On March 3, the CBA Board raised the refinancing rate by 1.0pct to
7.75% p.a. According to the CBA, this increase allows for reasonable
combination of reducing of deviations from target inflation level and
supporting of the economic growth.

The CBA Board has not ruled out adjustment of interest rates if the
current internal and external economic developments are maintained.
1% inflation was recorded in Armenia in February this year against
February 2008.

Under the state budget, inflation is planned to be at 4% (±1.5%) in
Armenia by the end of 2009. `0–

PanARMENIAN.Net

Writer Vahram Sahakyan leaves Armenia
11.03.2009 17:14 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The writer Vahram Sahakyan intends to leave Armenia,
weary of society’s receiving threatening messages and angry outcries
because of his political views. According to Sahakyan, often gets
criticized for exposing the modern reality I his works.

The actor and showman Hrant Tokhatyan said his political views remain
pro-governmental, yet that doesn’t prevent him from speaking out his
problems from the scene. The actor was indignant at the low
professionalism of some journalists, who allow themselves to make
offensive statements about great actors and writers like: `a certain
actor Sos Sargsyan’ or a `certain writer Petya Zeituntyan’.

`A performance based on Vagram Sahakyan’s play will launch in April. I
prefer to keep the details secret for the time being,’ Tokhatyan said.

According to Tatul Manaserian, gradual shift to floating exchange rate
would not affect negatively purchasing capacity of population

2840

YEREVAN, MARCH 10, NOYAN TAPAN. A sudden shift to a floating exchange
rate policy was a correct and objective approach, otherwise the
Armenian economy would have suffered considerable losses, while the
negative impact of the global financial crisis on the country’s
financial market had already been seen. The RA deputy minister of
finance Vardan Aramian expressed this opinion at the March 9 debate.

The member of the parliamentary "ARF" faction Artsvik Minasian said
that all the objective conditions for the dram’s depreciation had
already been created, but the question is how it should have been done:
gradually or suddenly? In his words, a stage-by-stage shift would be a
stricter one, but no calculations on it are presented to the public.
"So the public has some concerns, negative expectations, tension," A.
Minasian noted. He pointed out that the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA)
should publish the list of the entities who benefited from the
situation and increased their wealth by 30% during 2-3 days.

Doctor of Economics, Professor Tatul Manaserian considered wasting at
least 700 dollars of the state budget for maintaining the dram’s
exchange rate as unacceptable. In his opinion, the depreciation of the
dram should have been done gradually. According to him, in case of a
gradual shift, the state would have been able not to affect negatively
the purchasing capacity of the population, especially as the gas, water
and power prices will rise starting from April 1. He said that in these
conditions the state should raise the minimum wage to 30-40 thousand
drams.

In his words, the whole government is responsible for this situation.
He said that the business circle puts a serious pressure on the
government, preventing the executive branch from acting freely in the
existing situation. "As a proof, I would like to note that last week
the government withdrew from the National Assembly the bill that
proposed increasing the customs duty of imported goods by 15%," T.
Manaserian said.

n_Decides_To_Boycott_Referendum/1507924.html

Azer baijani Opposition To Boycott Referendum

March 11, 2009

BAKU — The Azerbaijani opposition has decided to boycott a
controversial national referendum on amendments to the constitution,
RFE/RL’s Azerbaijani Service reports.

Hasan Kerimov, deputy chairman of the Popular Front Party, says that
the united opposition group For Karabakh and Republic, of which
Kerimov’s party is a member, has decided it would be better to boycott
the referendum than to call on people to vote against the proposed
amendments.

The referendum is scheduled for March 18.

Azerbaijani authorities have touted the proposed amendments to the
constitution as measures to further democratize society.

The opposition says the amendments would strengthen the powers of
incumbent President Ilham Aliyev, who will be eligible for a third
term if the amendments are introduced.

Armenian Assembly of America
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:

PRESS RELEASE

March 6, 2009
Contact: Michael A Zachariades
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (202) 393-3434

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY WESTERN REGION CONTINUES OUTREACH

Los Angeles, CA- In a continuation of its outreach efforts, the Armenian
Assembly of America (Assembly), along with University of California,
Irvine, Armenian Students’ Association and the AGBU Young Professionals
of Orange County, held two separate Congressional forums last month in
Fresno (Central Valley) and Irvine (Orange County). The forums, which
featured Representatives Ed Royce (R-CA) and George Radanovich (R-CA),
both members of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues and
long-time supporters of U.S. reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide,
offered a unique opportunity to discuss a wide range of issues.

In Orange County, participants heard from Congressman Royce on topics
ranging from U.S. affirmation of the Armenian Genocide; U.S.-Turkey
military policy and the Azeri government’s increasing war rhetoric with
regards to Nagorno-Karabakh. Royce explained his deep conviction and
past championship of previous resolutions calling for U.S. affirmation
of the Armenian Genocide and detailed how he will continue to work with
both the Armenian-American community and his colleagues in Congress to
ensure that a resolution is passed by the House of Representatives.
Royce also described the current ramifications behind Azerbaijan’s
bellicose rhetoric, outlining his commitment to ensuring that U.S.
foreign policy in the South Caucasus applies sufficient pressures on
Azerbaijan to cease its hostility toward the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.

"I would like to thank Congressman Royce for his steadfast support on
Armenian issues and for his voting record, which is reflective of our
common goal of greater regional stability and integration in the South
Caucasus," stated Keshishian. Royce played an instrumental role in
passing an amendment to the 2006 Export-Import Reauthorization Act,
which prevented U.S. taxpayer assistance to a proposed railway
connecting Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey that specifically bypassed
Armenia.

In Fresno, Keshishian travelled to join Congressman George Radanovich
(R-CA) to discuss the Armenian Genocide Resolution and the implications
the Presidential and Congressional elections had on the Congressional
Caucus on Armenia Issues. While official business prevented Radanovich
from appearing that evening, Keshishian led an in-depth discussion on
the Assembly’s activities in California and specifically outlined the
issues in 2009 – namely, a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, U.S. affirmation of the Armenian Genocide and seeking closer
U.S.-Armenia cooperation on military and economic concerns.

Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest
Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding
and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a 501(c) (3)
tax-exempt membership organization.

###

NR#2009-01

JAVADYAN: CENTRAL BANK OF ARMENIA RAISES REFINANCING INTEREST RATE TO 7.75%

ARKA
March 3, 2009

YEREVAN, March 3. /ARKA/. Board of the Central Bank of Armenia has
raised refinancing interest rate 1.0 percentage points to 7.75%,
Central Bank Chairman Arthur Javadyan said on Tuesday.

He told journalists that the decision was prompted by the fact that
crises-caused deflation environment on world markets and slowing
growth in domestic demand foster low inflation.

Nevertheless, he said, risks of increase in target inflation indicators
are becoming very likely amid devaluating currency.

The previous change in refinancing interest rate was made on February
10. It was driven 0.25 percentage points down to 6.75%.