Author: Toneyan Mark

400.4 MLN DOLLARS INVESTED IN REAL SECTOR OF ARMENIAN ECONOMY IN 2005
Noyan Tapan
Apr 06 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 6, NOYAN TAPAN. In 2005, the foreign investment flows
in the Armenian economy (including those received through the state
governance and banking systems) amounted to 504.5 mln USD (a 8.3%
growth on 2004). The foreign investments in the real sector of the
economy (without those received through the state governance and
banking systems) made 400.4 mln USD (a 31% growth), with direct
invsetments amounting to 244.4 mln USD (a 8% growth). RA Deputy
Minister of Trade and Economic Development Tigran Davtian stated
this at the April 6 press conference. According to him, in 2005
the investments were more diversified by sectors, since the foreign
investments of over 7 mln USD were made in 8 branches of the Armenian
economy. 132.1 mln USD was invested in the communication sector, 97.5
mln USD – in the mining industry and 53.3 mln USD – in metallurgical
enterprises, investments of 26.4 mln USD were made in the production
of foodstuffs and drinks, 16.4 mln USD was invested in construction,
14.9 mln USD – in air transport infrastructures, 14.4 mln USD – in
the information technologies and electronics sector, and 7 mln USD
in the sphere of hotel services. T. Davtian said that last year the
number of countries making investments in the Armenian economy was on
the increase. European Union countries accounted for the largest share
of investments (about 50%), followed by Russia, the US, Argentina and
Lebanon. In terms of investments in companies, the biggest investments
were made in VivaCell (Lebanese capital, communication sector),
ArmenTel (Greek capital, communication sector), Zangezur Copper and
Molybdenum Enterprise (German capital, mining industry), Yerevan Brandy
Company (French capital) and Kotayk Beer Plant (French capital). It was
noted that the amount of foreign investments in Armenia’s economy in
2000-2005 made 1 bln 466 mln USD, with direct invsetements amounting
to 962 mln USD. The amount of investments in 1991-2005 made 1 bln
996 mln USD, with direct investments of 1 bln 460 mln USD. The deputy
minister underlined that the foreign investments/GDP ratio of 10-12%
registered in 2005 is not yet satisfactory.
According to T. Davtian’s forecasts, in 2006 the amount of foreign
investments in the real sector of the Armenian economy (without
those received through the state governance and banking systems)
will exceed 500 mln USD.

ARMENIA, GAZPROM CO FIND ACCEPTABLE PRICE FOR RUSSIAN GAS
06.04.2006, 06.23
ITAR-TASS, Russia
April 6 2006
YEREVAN, April 6 (Itar-Tass) – Armenia and the Russian Gazprom
Company found an acceptable version of settling the problem of
raising a price for Russian gas, said on Wednesday the country’s
President Robert Kocharyan who visited the ArmRosgazprom Company,
the exclusive supplier of gas to the republic.
According to the president, the Armenian government will approve the
final version for settling this question within two or three days.
True, the president did not divulge particulars of the understanding.
The government will look for means (within the next three years)
to set off the gas price both for population and for the business
community, the president reported. The same time is provided for
completing construction of a power unit in Razdan.
“As a result, we shall have a heat and power station with a very high
economic coefficient. Gas consumption for production of one kW/hr
will be much lower than at the operating stations. As a result, the
tariff policy will be more flexible,” Kocharyan noted. He added that
the rise of domestic prices for gas would not top 10-15 percent.
Starting from this month, Gazprom sells gas to Armenia at 110 US
dollars per 1,000 cubic meters.

CONCEPT OF DUAL CITIZENSHIP LAW PRESENTED AT NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
Yerkir
05.04.2006 17:15
YEREVAN (YERKIR) – Levon Mkrtchian, National Assembly’s Armenian
Revolutionary Federation (ARF) faction leader and Armen Rustamian
introduced on Wednesday the concept of a draft law, which would grant
a dual citizenship right to foreign Armenians.
“During the Constitutional referendum, the ARF presented its view on
this issue and our support of the constitutional amendments stemmed
from this stance,” Armen Rustamian said. “The ARF has prepared a
concept that could become the base for further discussions.”
He said three key issues would be resolved: organizing of worldwide
Armenians to contribute in national goals; new possibilities for
Armenia’s strengthening; and protection of rights of Armenians around
the world.
He noted that while working on the concept the international practices
were studied to make the law compliant with international laws also
put in balance the rights and obligations.
Levon Mkrtchian, in turn, said a group of professionals, including
Constitutional Court Chairman Gagik Harutiunian, worked on the
draft law.
The concept consists of 15 sections each of which is to become a
chapter in the future law.
“The dual citizenship for Armenians stems from the unique situation the
Armenians have found themselves after the Genocide,” Mkrtchian said.
Rustamian and Mkrtchian spoke of the necessity to clearly define the
rights and obligations, including the right to elect and be elected.
The concept will be submitted to the National Assembly as a draft
law in the fall.

GREECE’S OTE TO SELL 90 PCT STAKE IN ARMENIAS ARMENTEL UPDATE
AFX Europe (Focus)
Apr 04, 2006
(Updating with further details and broker comment)
ATHENS (AFX) – Greece’s Hellenic Telecommunications (OTE) said that
after negotiations with the Armenian government it has begun the
process of finding a purchaser for its 90 pct stake in Armentel.
Armentel is Armenias main telephone carrier and accounts for 2.2 pct
of OTE group revenues and 3.4 pct of EBITDA. It had full- year net
income of 45.8 mln eur.
Broker Vasillis Kararizos of Proton Securities said it is not the first
time that OTE has expressed its willingness to divest from the country
in which it has met major difficulties in the past. He added that the
sale makes sense for OTE since Armenia is located away from the Balkan
reach while Armenias business environment has not been favourable.
OTEs financial advisor for the transaction will be HSBC Holdings PLC.

GEGHAM GHARIBJANIAN REWARDED WITH RA NAS DIPLOMA FOR CONTRIBUTION IN ARMENIAN-IRANIAN SCIENTIFIC-CULTURAL RELATIONS
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 03 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 3, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. By the decision of
the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, Gegham Gharibjanian,
the RA Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs was rewarded with the
Academy Diploma for the contribution he had in the Armenian-Iranian
scientific-cultural relations. As Noyan Tapan was informed by the RA
Foreign Ministry’s Press and Information Department, Fadey Sargsian,
the Chairman of the NAS of Armenia rewarded G.Gharibjanian with the
Diploma on April 3. To recap, Gegham Gharibjanian was the RA Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Iran before being appointed the
RA NA Deputy Minister.

DANISH ARTIST PREVIEWS WORK IN BANGKOK
By Satirat Dam-ampai
ScandAsia.com, Thailand
April 3 2006
A special four-day preview of Elizabeth Romhild’s upcoming Cynosure’
solo exhibition in Denmark will be held at H Gallery, Bangkok from
May 25-28, 2006.
Danish-Armenian Elizabeth Romhild who has spent the last two decades
in Thailand will present ten of her most recent oil canvases to be
displayed in a solo exhibition in June in Denmark. The exhibition in
Denmark is to be entitled ‘Cynosure’ and the artist is exclusively
represented by Galerie Knud Grothe Charlottenlund in Denmark and
Opera Gallery in Singapore.
The Bangkok preview for ‘Cynosure’ takes place at H Gallery on
Thursday May 25 from 6.30 – 9 pm. The exhibition will be open to the
public from Thursday through Sunday from noon to 6 pm. H Gallery is
located at 201 Sathorn Soi 12 (next to the Bangkok Bible College &
Seminary and within walking distance of the Surasak BTS station).
For more information on the artist and her work, please visit

TRIAL OF RUSLAN BASHIRLI, RAMIN TAGIYEV AND SAID NURI STARTED
Today, Azerbaijan
April 1 2006
Preparatory trial of Yeni Fikir Youth Movement Chief Ruslan Bashirli,
Chief assistant Ramin Tagiyev and Coordinator Said Nuri was held in
the Grave Crimes Court.
As APA reports, they are accused due to the Criminal Code article 278
(to seize the power by force) and 192 (illegal entrepreneurship). The
sitting started an hour late as the lawyers did not come. But then the
both lawyers – Osman Kazimov and Elchin Gambarov joined the sitting.
The trial was presided over by Tofig Pashayev. The Republic
Prosecutor’s Office representative Shahin Rahimov, acted as the Public
Prosecutor. Ruslan Bashirli demanded that Lider TV correspondent
should leave the trial hall and victims of March 31 Genocide of
Azerbaijanis should be commemorated in one minute silence. The
lawyer Osman Kazimov submitted a list of evidences to the defense
side and made some claims. He demanded that names of alleged Armenian
intelligence officers should be publicized, Osman Alimuradov’s video
cassette should be submitted and fact that Ruslan Bashirli received
bribes from the embassies should be given to the trial.
“Statements against Ruslan Bashirli are reflected in investigation
materials. All of the statements were not included in the materials.
PFPA chief Ali Kerimli’s statement was excluded from the materials.
There is no evidence in the material proving relation of Ruslan
Bashirli to Armenian intelligence bodies.”
The Public Prosecutor said that the cassette will be submitted to
the trial in the next sitting and there is no need to give the other
evidences to the trial now.
Bashirli said that he underwent tortures during the arrest time and
got brain injury. He demanded that the law enforcement bodies who
tortured should be held accountable.
The Public Prosecutor also proposed to hold closed trial because
there is intelligence and state secret in the investigation. Lawyers
and the accused objected this proposal.
URL:

DETENTE FOR GENOCIDE CONTROVERSY
by Dorian Jones Istanbul
The Times Higher Education Supplement
March 31, 2006
Academics have agreed to a unique co-operation over the issue of
Turkey’s genocide against its Armenian population.
The proposal to bring together historians on both sides of the debate
was made at a three-day conference at Istanbul University.
Yusuf Halacoglu, president of the Turkish Historical Society and a
proponent of the view that no genocide occurred, initiated the plan.
“Let’s carry out a project together, dig up common graves if there
are some, to put an end to numerous demagogical arguments,” he said.
The offer was accepted by Ara Sarafian of the Gomidas Institute,
a centre for Armenian study.
Safak Ural, conference organiser, welcomed the initiative: “If we
fail to explain this problem to our own people, we cannot explain it
to others. In order to explain it, we should discuss it.”
Two years ago, a meeting planned between Armenian and Turkish academics
was cancelled, with each side blaming the other for its failure. Such
is the mutual hostility that opposing academics rarely meet.
Mesut Parlak, rector of Istanbul University, described the conference
as the “most comprehensive of all meetings to date”. Boghos Levon
Zekiyan, professor of Armenian Studies at Ca’ Foscari University
in Venice, said the greatest novelty was the fact the conference
had occurred.
“It was the first time a respectable state institution broke the
taboo of the Armenian genocide by giving all invited scholars who do
not share the official Turkish view an opportunity,” he said.
Dozens of invitations were sent to academics who hold the view that
genocide against Armenians occurred in what is now Turkey between 1915
and 1923, although fewer than a dozen attended and only four spoke.
Even so, their presence is seen as a significant change in Turkey,
where until recently to claim genocide had occurred could have led
to prosecution and imprisonment.
Fears that the conference would be marred by nationalist demonstrations
proved unfounded.

DANILOVIC TO VISIT ARMENIA
Lragir.am
31 March 06
>From April 10 to 15 the president of the Millennium Challenge
Corporation John Danilovic will visit Armenia, announced Vardan
Khachatryan, Minister of Finance and Economy on March 31. According
to him, Danilovic’s visit will be a cognitive one. The American
official will get acquainted with the preparations for the MCC
program of Armenia, the opening of the MCC office in Yerevan, meet
with people who will somehow be related with the millennium programs.
Envoy Danilovic will also get acquainted with other international
programs, implemented in Armenia.
This is the first visit of John Danilovic. For the first time he will
see the country to the government of which he had addressed a letter,
reminding about the doubts that the referendum on constitution gave
rise to and the necessity of fair governance in the country. The envoy
has probably decided that it is better to say once than to write for
several times.

USA, ARMENIA SIGN DEAL ON POVERTY REDUCTION
Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
28 Mar 06
The American Millennium Challenges Corporation and Armenia signed an
agreement at the State Department in Washington a few hours ago. Under
the agreement the Armenian government will receive 235.65m dollars
within the next five years to reduce poverty in rural areas and
restore infrastructure, roads and irrigation systems in rural places.
Armenian Minister of Finance and Economy Vardan Khachatryan and
executive director of the Millennium Challenges Corporation John
Danilovich signed the agreement. US Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice and Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan also took part in
the signing ceremony.
The main aim of the programme is the reduction of poverty in rural
areas by ensuring a stable growth of agricultural goods. Within the
framework of the programme, 750,000 people or 75 per cent of the
rural population of Armenia will receive aid.
By implementing this programme the poverty is expected to be reduced
by 6 per cent. Under the programme, 67m dollars will be used to
rebuild rural roads, 146m dollars to upgrade the irrigation system
and the remaining 23m dollars will used to monitor, assess, control
and manage the programme.
Armenia is our best partner and we are glad to assist Armenia and to
provide a better life for all the Armenians, executive director of the
Millennium Challenges Corporation John Danilovich said. The corporation
will continue to control the implementation of this programme in
Armenia during the next five years, the executive director of the
corporation noted.