Author: Vardanian Garo

ACCOMPANIED BY THE RA MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, RA PRIME MINISTER TIGRAN SARGSYAN VISITED ALISHAN LTD

Tuesday, 14 April 2009

Accompanied by the RA Minister of Agriculture, RA Prime Minister
Tigran Sargsyan visited Alishan Ltd. of Masis town to get acquainted
with the activities and the achievements of this seven-year-old fruit
and vegetable processing company. Tigran Sargsyan took the opportunity
to familiarize himself with the advanced technology using greenhouse
unit which was founded earlier this year.

By noting that agriculture and farm produce processing are deemed as
economic priorities in Armenia, the Prime Minister emphasized that the
Operative Staff follows closely any development-oriented undertaking
and proposal in this field to ensure that State support is provided to
this sector. Among the challenges faced by the Company, Tigran Sargsyan
singled out two key problems: fiscal liabilities and replenishment
of cash resources. The head of government assured that both of these
issues will be discussed on the part of the Operative Staff.

"Thirdly, nationwide outreach should be ensured for the greenhouse
unit’s successful experience. The enterprise is prepared to back
both the private sector and the State in disseminating the know-how
available.

Therefore, I think this entity may enjoy good development opportunities
in Armenia," the Prime Minister has said.

IRAN, ARMENIA TO FINANCE ENERGY PROJECTS IN ARMENIA

Xinhua General News Service
April 14, 2009 Tuesday 10:40 PM EST

Visiting Armenian Energy Minister Armen Movsisyan discussed with
Iran’s Minister of Economy and Finance Shamseddin Hosseini, the ways
to finance energy projects by Iran in Armenia, the official IRNA news
agency reported on Tuesday.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran is willing to cooperate with Armenia
in developing infrastructure of the former Soviet republic, " said
Hosseini, expressing hope that "the ground for expanding two countries
economic and trade cooperation would be prepared in near future."

For his part, Movsisyan appreciated opening up of credit line for
Armenia by the Export Development Bank of Iran, the report said.

In an official two-day visit, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan,
heading a high ranking political and economic delegation, arrived in
Tehran on Monday for multipurpose talks with Iranian officials.

Some economic contracts including a memorandum of understanding on
rail transport cooperation between the two countries are expected to
be signed during his visit.

In November 2008, Iran and Armenia inked ten agreements on security,
political and economic cooperation in Tehran.

Iran says S-300 missile deal with Russia on track

19:55 | 15/ 04/ 2009

MOSCOW, April 15 (RIA Novosti) – There are no obstacles to the
delivery of Russian S-300 surface-to-air missile systems to Tehran,
Iran’s deputy foreign minister said on Wednesday.
"There are no problems with this [S-300] contract," Mehdi Safari said
at the end of his visit to Moscow.
He offered no specifics about the contract’s implementation, but
dismissed concerns voiced by a number of countries over possible S-300
deliveries to Iran.
"After all, these are purely defensive weapons, and any country has
the right to buy them. I believe this could only worry those states
that have plans to attack others," he said.
A Russian arms export official said last month Iran had not yet
received any S-300 air defense systems.
Iranian media, citing senior security officials, have repeatedly
reported that Russia has started delivering elements of the advanced
version of the S-300 missile to Tehran under a 2007 contract.
The latest version of the S-300 family is the S-300PMU2 Favorit, which
has a range of up to 195 kilometers (about 120 miles) and can
intercept aircraft and ballistic missiles at altitudes from 10 meters
to 27 kilometers.
It is considered one of the world’s most effective all-altitude
regional air defense systems, comparable in performance to the
U.S. MIM-104 Patriot system.
Iran recently took delivery of 29 Russian-made Tor-M1 air defense
missile systems under a $700-million contract signed in late
2005. Russia has also trained Iranian Tor-M1 specialists, including
radar operators and crew commanders. The S-300 system is significantly
superior to the Tor-M1.

IN JAN-MAR 2009 TURNOVER OF UNISTREAM IN ARMENIA TOTALLED $89MLN

ArmInfo
2009-04-14 19:24:00

ArmInfo. In Jan-Mar 2009 the turnover of UNIStream, an international
money transfer system, in Armenia totalled $89mln (incoming transfers
totalled $77.8mln, outgoing ones – $11.3mln), reports the press
service of Unibank.

In Mar 2009 the amount of transfers totalled $33.8mln, in Feb –
$29.3mln, in Jan – $26mln.

94.4% of transfers were from and to Russia, 1.6% – Ukraine, 1.2%
– Greece.

65.8% of transfers were in USD, 24.4% in RUR, 5.7% in EUR, 4.1% in AMD.

According to ArmInfo, because of the global crisis, in Jan-Mar 2009
as compared with Jan-Mar 2008 the amount of UNIStream transfers into
and from Armenia dropped by 30%. The exclusive partner of UNIStream
in Armenia is Unibank.

NEW ISSUE OF ARMENIAN REVIEW PUBLISHED, TWO OTHERS FORTHCOMING

e=41410_4/13/2009_1
Monday, April 13, 2009

WATERTOWN, Mass.–The fall-winter 2008 issue of "The Armenian Review"
was released earlier this month. Titled "Armenians and Progressive
Politics," the issue presents Armenia and Armenians within the larger
context of progressive and modern socialist politics.

Edited by guest editor Dikran Kaligian, the issue features articles
by Khatchik DerGhougassian, Levon Chorbajian, Ara Khanjian, Razmig
B. Shirinian, Markar Melkonian, Dikran M. Kaligian, as well as several
book reviews.

In September 2008, Asbed Kotchikian, professor at the global
studies department at Bentley University, assumed the editorship of
the journal and, during the last couple of months, the Review has
witnessed restructuring and change, including the revamping of its
website (), the formation of an advisory board,
the appointment of Vartan Matiossian as the book review editor of
the journal, as well as the planning of several events around the
upcoming issues. Kaligian continues as managing editor.

"The revamping of the website has been a priority because it is the
face of the new Review," said Kotchikian. "It aims at attracting
researchers and scholars to submit proposals for possible articles
and it will provide a detailed index of past issues."

Talking about the mission of the Review, Kotchikian highlighted the
journal’s role in Armenian studies circles. He noted that in March,
during the Society of Armenian Studies conference held at UCLA, the
new issue of the Review was presented, and the journal generated a
renewed interest by participating scholars.

After being published relatively irregularly for the past several
years, the new issues promise the regular publication of this
peer-reviewed academic journal, which will be celebrating its 60th
anniversary this year with a special issue looking at the history of
the Review and of other journals dealing with Armenian studies.

Also in the works are issues on the comparative study of reparations
for mass crimes and injustices, and a special issue on civil society
in Armenia, both scheduled for publication in 2009. With these issues,
the journal promises to resume publishing three times a year.

Alongside its regular publications, the Review will organize and
co-sponsor conferences and panel discussions related to its wider area
of interest, which includes socio-political and economic developments,
art and architecture, geography and the politics of the former Soviet
space and the Middle East, the role of ethnography and nationalism
in politics and history, ethnic conflicts, and conflict resolution.

One such event will be held on April 20 at Bentley University. Titled
"Subjects and Citizens: (Un)Even Relations between Turks, Kurds,
Armenians," the panel will include scholars Ugur Umit Ungor (University
of Sheffield, UK), Bilgin Ayata (Johns Hopkins), Henry Theriault
(Worcester State College), and Kaligian (Regis College). Kotchikian
will moderate.

First published in 1948 by the Hairenik Association, the
Review has become a forum of intellectual and academic exchange
dealing with issue pertaining–but not limited–to Armenians and
Armenia. For more information, visit or email
[email protected].

ARMENIA, IRAN INTERESTED IN REINFORCING BILATERAL COOPERATION
Gita Elibekyan

"Radiolur"
14.04.2009 11:04
Tehran

President Serzh Sargsyan had a meeting with the President of Iran
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. During the meeting the Presidents of the two
countries discussed issues related to bilateral relations, as a well
as a broad framework of regional questions.

The Presidents appreciated the level of dialogue and emphasized the
importance of the efforts targeted at the deepening of friendship.

Serzh Sargsyan noted that the Armenian-Iranian friendship and
historical-cultural ties provide ground for deepening the cooperation
between the two countries.

According to Serzh Sargsyan, Iran has proved many times that it is a
reliable and important partner for Armenia. "At moments of difficulty
Armenia has always felt the support of Iran, and during the years
of blockade Armenia has imported goods through Iranian territory,"
the President said. As a proof of that the President pointed to the
August events, when Armenia was transporting cargoes through the
territory of Iran.

Today the Presidents of Armenia will sign a memorandum on the
construction of the Iran-Armenia railway. The Presidents of the two
countries will give a joint press conference following the signing
ceremony.

At the request of the President of Iran, Serzh Sargsyan informed
him about the political dialogue between Armenia and Turkey and the
latest developments in the process of peaceful settlement of the
Karabakh conflict.

The interlocutors attached importance to the peaceful, negotiated
solution of the issue. President Serzh Sargsyan thanked his Iranian
counterpart for the balanced position of Iran on the Karabakh issue.

OPENING OF ARMENIAN BORDER LINKED TO KARABAKH, TURKISH LAWMAKER SAYS

PanARMENIAN.Net
14.04.2009 14:56 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A senior Turkish lawmaker has said the opening of
the border between Turkey and Armenia is part of a larger package
that also includes settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh problem.

"Opening the border is not a matter started by U.S. President Barack
Obama’s recent visit to Turkey," Yasar Yakis, the head of Parliament’s
EU Harmonization Commission, told reporters on Sunday. "The issue has
been on the table since 2007, and Switzerland is involved," Yakis said.

Turkish and Armenian diplomats have been holding closed-door talks to
normalize ties since 2007. It is not clear what role Switzerland plays,
but the talks are believed to be hosted by it. Some say Switzerland
is also a mediator, but there has been no official statement detailing
its involvement.

Yakis said Turkey had no problems with the people of Armenia. "There is
a problem caused by the Armenian Diaspora," he said. "Mr. Obama brought
up the matter during his visit to Turkey after momentum was created
by the Armenian Diaspora in the United States," he said, noting there
is an impression that Turkey would open the border without resolution
of the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute. "Such an impression is not correct,"
he said, Tosday’s Zaman reported.

Mediamax, Armenia
April 10, 2009 Friday

Armenian opposition, pro-government MPs on possible opening of Turkish
border

Yerevan, 10 April: Armenian MPs are in general for the opening of the
Armenian-Turkish border.

Mediamax reports that representatives of parliamentary factions said
this in Yerevan today during briefings in the National Assembly of
Armenia [parliament].

At the same time, member of the opposition Heritage party Stepan
Safaryan expressed concern in connection with the absence of principal
comments of official Yerevan concerning the expected unblocking of the
border by Turkey and the process of private Armenian-Turkish
talks. According to him, the Armenian authorities have not fully
evaluated and analysed the economic and political consequences of
border opening.

Secretary of the Heritage faction Larisa Alaverdyan stated that the
opening of the Armenian-Turkish border will lead to the necessity of
making strategic changes in the foreign policy of Armenia in
general. She expressed indignation concerning Azerbaijan’s pressure on
Turkey because of the possible establishment of diplomatic relations
and opening of the border with Armenia.

Leader of the [pro-government] Orinats Yerkir [Law-Governed Country]
party faction Heghine Bisharyan stated that the opening of the border
will bring more benefits than threats to the economic and national
security of Armenia. According to her, communication with Turkey will
help avoid critical situation in Armenia’s economy, as it happened in
August 2008, during events in Georgia.

Leader of the [Armenian Revolutionary Federation -] Dashnaktsutyun
party [member of the governing coalition] faction Vahan Hovhannisyan
expressed opinion that "unprecedented pressure by Azerbaijan and
realization of mass protest actions in eastern regions of Turkey
against the opening of the border may be well faked steps, aiming at
forcing Armenia to fulfil certain preconditions". According to him,
Yerevan should not yield to that pressure.

"It seems that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev does not understand
the true national interests of his country, one of which is the
peaceful resolution of the Karabakh conflict, basing on present
realities," Vahan Hovhannisyan stated, noting that at present the
party is preparing an analytical document on the possible economic
threats to Armenia after opening the border.

Leader of the faction of the [ruling] Republican Party of Armenia
(RPA) Galust Sahakyan stated that an "extremely exaggerated interest"
is demonstrated towards the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border. At
that he stressed that the sides have managed to reach significant
progress, especially concerning diplomatic relations.

Prizes Delivered

NKR Government Information and
Public Relations Department

April 11, 2009

Today, the annual ceremony of the governmental Eghishe prize delivery
to the laureates of 2008 has taken place in the NKR Government
building. Prizes were delivered in four nominations. Among the
laureates were Eduard Atanesyan (in the sphere of literature), Hrant
Manatsakanyan (in the sphere of art), Vahram Balayan (in the sphere of
cinematography and TV films) and Karine Alaverdyan (in the sphere of
the humanities).
The diplomas and monetary awards (250 thousand drams) were
delivered to the prize winners by L.Hakobyan, NKR Minister of Culture
and Youth Affairs.

President Obama, in Turkey, raises Armenian issues
Avoids the word genocide
Asks Turkey to open Armenia border

ident-obama-in-turkey-raises-armenian-issues
by Emil Sanamyan
Published: Friday April 10, 2009

Washington, – In a first for a U.S. president, Barack Obama used his
visit to Ankara to publicly speak of the need for Turkey to address
its past and improve its present relations with Armenia.

But citing reports of an impending breakthrough in talks between
Armenia and Turkey, Mr. Obama effectively sidestepped his pre-election
promise to clearly recognize the destruction of Ottoman Armenians as
genocide. Mr. Obama also encouraged Turkish and Armenian officials "to
complete an agreement" in an expeditious manner. Armenian agenda
without the G word

In his April 6 speech at Turkey’s Grand National Assembly and in a
joint press conference with Turkish president Abdullah Gül earlier
the same day, Mr. Obama became the first U.S. president to publicly
air some Armenian-American concerns on a visit to Turkey. (See
transcripts.)

Addressing the parliament, Mr. Obama recalled America’s own treatment
of Native Americans and Blacks, and urged Turks to address the
"terrible events of 1915" in a way that is "honest, open, and
constructive." Extolling the benefits of opening the border with
Armenia – which was closed and is kept closed by Turkey – he said the
United States "strongly supports normalization of relations between
Turkey and Armenia." He also invited Turkey to play a "constructive
role" in the Karabakh peace process.

At the press conference, the subject was formally prompted by Chicago
Tribune and Los Angeles Times correspondent Christi Parsons, who
referred to Mr. Obama’s comments on the Armenian Genocide as a senator
and his pre-election pledges to recognize the Genocide as
president. Ms. Parsons asked whether the president still held the same
views and whether he asked Mr. Gül to recognize the Genocide.

Mr. Obama responded that he had not changed his views, which are "on
the record." But he then turned to the subject of talks between
Armenia and Turkey that could "bear fruit very quickly very soon" and
which, he said, he did not want to "tilt" in favor of either side,
presumably by speaking more candidly.

In his follow-up, Mr. Gül outlined some of the points of the
official Turkish position, denying the Armenian Genocide, and seeking
to shift it from the realm of law and politics to the realm of
academic history.

The Turkish president did not sound as upbeat as Mr. Obama about the
prospect of a breakthrough in talks with Armenia, noting only that he
"would like to see a good resolution of these discussions," and
adding, "we have a lot of work" to do, including resolving "issues
between Armenia and Azerbaijan."

Talks with Armenia: PR campaign or real progress?

Turkish officials and their supporters have offered contradictory
opinions on the status of talks with Armenia and whether they might be
nearing some kind of a turning point.

On the eve of Mr. Obama’s visit, a media blitz sought to play up
progress in talks. Leaks by anonymous, but presumably Turkish and some
U.S. officials to the Wall Street Journal even suggested April 16 as a
day when an Armenian-Turkish agreement could be signed. The story was
picked up by the Washington Times, Financial Times, and others.

Members of the congressional Turkey caucus spun the same story line,
urging Mr. Obama to encourage Armenian and Turkish leaders to reach an
agreement.

But speaking in London on April 3, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
said Turkey would not concede that the Ottoman treatment of Armenians
was genocide and again linked the establishment of relations with
Armenia to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The next day Mr. Gül
dismissed the Wall Street Journal report of the April 16 date as
"false."

In a comment for the media late Sunday night, Armenia’s Foreign
Minister Edward Nalbandian stressed that there is a "mutual
understanding" between Armenia and Turkey that normalization can have
no preconditions, that there would be no linkages to the Genocide or
Karabakh, and that statements to the contrary "may be regarded as an
attempt to impede the progress reached in the negotiations."

Mr. Nalbandian then postponed by 24 hours his departure for Istanbul,
where he was to attend the Alliance of Civilizations meeting. Upon
arrival in the evening of April 6, he had a brief conversation with
Mr. Obama and then a four-way meeting that included the foreign
ministers of Turkey and Switzerland, which has recently hosted talks
between Armenian and Turkish officials.

An unnamed but senior U.S. official told Reuters that Mr. Obama "urged
[Armenian and Turkish ministers] to complete an agreement with
dispatch."

In the meantime, the Azerbaijani leadership expressed public distress
over Armenian-Turkish talks and President Ilham Aliyev refused to
attend the Istanbul conference – even after being promised a meeting
with Mr. Obama, Turkish media reported.

On April 7, Turkish foreign minister Ali Babacan again spoke of
progress made in talks, but a report carried by the Anatolia news
agency referred to no timeline. In a comment that could be seen as
directed to the United States, Mr. Babacan suggested that "third
countries should act sensitively during this ongoing process." Mixed
community reaction

Adding to the week’s confusion were the substantially different
interpretations of Mr. Obama’s remarks offered by Armenian-American
advocacy groups.

Aram Hamparian of the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
said in a statement, "President Obama missed a valuable opportunity to
honor his public pledge to recognize the Armenian Genocide." At the
same time, he welcomed as "a step in the right direction" Mr. Obama’s
"willingness to raise his commitment to recognizing the Armenian
Genocide, even indirectly."

In a comment for the Armenian Reporter, Ross Vartian of the
U.S.-Armenia Public Affairs Committee (USAPAC) said, "President Obama
made it clear that his well-known views on the Armenian Genocide have
not changed and that Turkey needed to face its history. Yet he could
have and should have said the words `Armenian Genocide’ at a time and
place perfect for doing so."

"President Obama stands by his pledge regarding affirmation of the
Armenian genocide," ran the headline of the Armenian Assembly of
America statement released to the media. Unlike the ANCA, the Assembly
offered no criticism, pointing instead to Mr. Obama’s comment that he
hasn’t changed his view.

The Assembly’s Bryan Ardouny noted, "For the first time, a
U.S. President has delivered a direct message to Turkish officials in
their own country that he stands behind his steadfast support and
strong record of affirmation of the Armenian Genocide."

The Assembly statement sidestepped the fact that Mr. Obama chose to
sidestep the word genocide.

Incidentally, on April 6 the Hawaii State House of Representatives
passed a measure condemning the Armenian Genocide. Mr. Obama’s home
state became the 42nd U.S. state to recognize the Genocide.