Author: Zakarian Garnik

Armenian Library & Museum of America (ALMA <; )
<; 65 Main Street, Watertown MA 02472
Phone. 617.926.2562 ~ Email: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
~ Website: <;

MAY 7, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESS CONTACT:
MARIAM STEPANYAN
617-926-2562 X3

ALMA PARTICIPATES IN "ARMENIA IN FRANCE"

The Armenian Library and Museum of America, Inc. (ALMA) of Watertown,
Massachusetts is proud to have honored a request by the French
government to lend six rare and unique objects from ALMA’s Bedoukian and
Karabian Collections for a major exhibit at the "Vielle Charite" in
Marseille, France. The artifacts are currently displayed as part of the
exhibition "Armenie: La Magie de l’Ecrit" which is part of the French
government-sponsored events currently celebrating the "Year of Armenia"
in France. This particular exhibit honors the 1,600th anniversary of
the creation of the Armenian alphabet. It opened on April 27 and will
continue through July 22, 2007.

The curators of this exhibit are Claude Mutafian, Doctor in History,
Sorbonne, Dickran Kouymjian, Director of Armenian Studies, California
State University, Fresno, California and Jean-Piere Mahe, Professor at
the "Ecole Pratique de Hautes Etudes," Paris, France .

Through the display of manuscripts, documents, printed books, and also
of inscriptions on works on various materials (stone, metal, wood,
cloth, rug and ceramic), the exhibition illustrates how Mesrop Mashtots
created the national alphabet at the very beginning of the 5th century.
This epochal invention resulted in the survival and strengthening of a
national Armenian identity, in spite of a particularly agitated history,
both rich and tragic.

On exhibit from ALMA are:

From ALMA’s Bedoukian Collection:

· A dagger with sheath made for Sarkis in 1806

· An 18th-century blue ceramic bowl with ligatured lettering
made in Isfahan

· An engraved copper plaque in memory of David of Amasya made
in 1553

· An engraved large copper tray made for the Catholicos in
1735

From ALMA’s Walter and Laurel Karabian Collection

· An 18th-century shallow Kutahya bowl with ligatured
inscription

· A memorial Kutahya ceramic tile with Armenian text made in
1727

Because these requested treasures are both very valuable and fragile,
ALMA required exceptional safeguards to ensure the safety of these
artifacts during transportation and while on exhibit in Marseille.
Transportation and insurance through Lloyds of London were at an
estimated cost of $20,000 borne by the French Ministry.

This is the third time ALMA has been involved in European exhibits.
Last year, it loaned a priceless object for exhibit in Berlin, Germany.
Some years ago, under ALMA’s then Chairman, Arthur T. Gregorian, ALMA
mounted an exhibit in Marseille of inscribed Armenian rugs from its
valuable and unique Arthur T. Gregorian Collection.

It should also be mentioned that during the past few years ALMA has been
visited for filming on three or four occasions by professional
documentary companies based in Western Europe.

It is surprising that the Armenian-American press has given little
coverage to the fact that never before in world history have there been
more exhibits about Armenia and Armenian art and culture in any one
country than is now ongoing in France. There are and have been many
hundreds of exhibits, concerts, dance programs, films, photographic
exhibits, and other activities during this year. Laurel Karabian,
ALMA’s Vice-President of Los Angeles, California, who negotiated the
arrangements, visited exhibits in Paris and Marseille and observed that
they were marvelously mounted, sparing no expense, and accompanied by
very costly, scholarly and informative catalogues richly adorned with
numerous color photographs. This elaborate undertaking called
"Armenie-mon-amie" has been estimated to cost the French government at
least fifty million dollars.

In Paris alone, on exhibit, among many other exhibits in Paris, are
"Armenie Sacre" at the Louvre (which ends on May 21), an extensive,
ongoing Aivazovski exhibition called "Poetry of the Sea", at the Musée
de la Marine, "Books of Armenia" at the National Biblioteque of France,
"Paradjanov the Magnificent" at Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts, "Sarian
or the Colors of Armenie" at the Musee Francais, Exhibits of the works
of Jean Carzou, two ongoing retrospectives of the works of Arshile
Gorky, an exhibit called "Painters in Armenia 1830-1930" at the Petite
Palais Museum of Fine Arts, "The Capital Ani and its Churches",
"Armenia, Christian land in the Caucasus" and many others. One should
check the schedules and locations to see which exhibits are ongoing and
which will be mounted in the future.

For schedules and locations in Paris and throughout all of France, visit
<; and
select the region of your interest. At the website, one can select any
particular region of France in which one may be interested to see the
schedule of current activities and events for such region. For
activities in Paris, click on "Index ile-de-france".

ARMENIAN DOCUMENTARY WINS TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL PRIZE

ARMENPRESS
May 04 2007

NEW YORK, MAY 4, ARMENPRESS: A Story of People in War & Peace,
directed by Armenian film director Vartan Hovhanesian, was recognized
the winner of the 6th annual Tribeca Film Festival in New York in the
category of Best New Documentary Filmmaker. The film is about the
horrors of war and its effects that uses footage from the conflict
between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Winner received $25,000 cash and the art award "Nelson Mandela,
Johannesburg, South Africa," created by Bruce Weber.

This year’s Festival included 157 features and 88 short films from 47
countries. The world competition winners were chosen from 18 narrative
and 16 documentary features from 25 countries. Two awards were also
given to honor New York films, which were chosen from 14 narrative
and eight documentary features. Of the 62 short films in competition,
awards were given for best narrative, best documentary and student
visionary film.

The Tribeca Film Festival was founded in 2002 by Robert De Niro,
Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff after the attacks on the World
Trade Center to help economically and culturally revitalize Lower
Manhattan through an annual celebration of film, music, and culture.

The Festival’s mission is to assist filmmakers to reach the broadest
possible audience, enable the international film community and the
general public to experience the power of film, and to promote New
York City as a major filmmaking center.

DEFEND TURKEY’S ELECTED GOVERNMENT AS ‘SECULAR’ MOVEMENT PUSHES ASIDE DEMOCRACY
by Ron Margulies, Istanbul

Socialistworker.co.uk, UK
May 4 2007

On two occasions in April hundreds of thousands of Turks took to the
streets of Istanbul and the capital Ankara to defend "the Republic".

Wrapped in Turkish flags and pictures of Kemal Ataturk – the founder
of modern Turkey – they shouted, "Happy is he who says I’m Turkish",
"No to Islamic fundamentalism", "We are not Armenian, we are Turks".

Some carried placards calling on the armed forces to "do its duty",
clamouring for the military to stage a coup against the government
led by Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Turkey’s ruling party comes from an Islamic background.

For the past five years it has done two things. Economically,
it has slavishly implemented a neo-liberal programme set out by
the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that includes a programme of
privatisation, and cuts in social security and the health service.

In doing this, the AKP has won the support of big business in the
country. It has also gained friends in the US for its unstinting
neoliberal policies and its support for US plans in the Middle East –
even though AKP members of parliament voted against allowing US troops
to use Turkish soil for the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

The government continues to enjoy the popular support it won in the
general elections in 2002. It gained a majority because it was not
an establishment party.

The party leader and current prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
was briefly jailed for reciting an Islamic poem during a rally. The
party promised reforms and a more relaxed approach to religion in a
country dominated by the secular establishment.

Despite the neo-liberal economic policies, the AKP government has
taken hesitant but unprecedented steps to resolve the Kurdish problem
and the issue of Cyprus. Partly under European Union pressure, it
has liberalised many restrictive laws governing human rights.

While it has not taken any steps which could in any way be interpreted
as "Islamic", the fact that it comes from an Islamic tradition has
meant that religious people – both Muslim and Christian – have not
felt under pressure from the state.

The AKP government has cut against the grain of Turkey’s Kemalist
official ideology. Kemalism is a deeply nationalistic ideology which
gives primacy to the state, the unity of "the nation", secularism
and Westernisation.

It is the justification for military interventions (four coups since
1945) against real and imagined "enemies". Usually the victims of
the military were the left, now the enemy is Islam.

The demonstrators who think they are defending "the Republic" against
Islamic fundementalism are in fact bolstering a state which stifles
democracy and limits human rights in the country.

What is widely dubbed "the deep state" in Turkey – in reality not
"deep" but the state itself, from the army to the bureaucracy to
semi-official hit-squads – has watched the government with a growing
sense of panic.

The sacred cows of Kemalism, the indivisibility of the country and
secularism – meaning no concession to the Kurds or on Cyprus and no
concessions to any sign of religious expression – have seemed to be
under attack.

There have been two mouthpieces of Kemalism and reaction. One is the
armed forces. The second, perhaps more surprisingly for a Western
observer, is the social democratic party, the main opposition party
in parliament.

Both have screamed against all attempts at reforming the monolithic
and repressive state apparatus. And they have constantly harped on
"the danger of Islamic fundamentalism" supposedly represented by the
government party.

There is no such danger in Turkey. Indeed, it is precisely because the
social democrats have constantly shouted about the illusory danger of
Islam that the government has got away with its neo-liberal programme
unopposed.

The crisis came to a head recently after the foreign minister, Abdullah
Gul, was nominated for president of the republic. The election for
president is held by MPs rather than a general vote.

The president is elected by parliament every seven years. The army
and the social democrats have warned that they will not allow a man
whose wife wears the Islamic headscarf to become head of state.

Given that the AKP government can use its parliamentary majority
to get whoever it wants elected, "not allow" means "not allow a
democratically elected government to implement due democratic process".

The two demonstrations last month represent an attempt by the army
to create a popular base for its fight against the government.

There has never been a demonstration in Turkey that has received
such a good press and such help from the authorities. I have never
seen so many people arrive on a demonstration in four-wheel drives
and expensive hair-dos.

Turkey’s middle class, organised by the army and the social democratic
party, have taken to the streets to call on the army to defend their
life-styles. The wealthy neighbourhoods of Istanbul were awash with
Turkish flags on the day of the march, elsewhere in the working class
areas there were no flags or support for the demonstration.

As Gul secured a majority in the first round of voting in his election,
the armed forces issued a declaration threatening a coup, and the
social democratic party took the issue to the constitutional court
on a technicality about parliamentary arithmetic.

After the court annulled Gul’s vote the general elections, scheduled
for November, will probably now take place in July or August.

There is no doubt that the AKP government will win handsomely. In
the meantime, the onus is on us to speak up for democracy against
the military, while continuing to fight against the government’s
neo-liberal programme and to build the campaigns against the occupation
in Iraq and threats against Iran.

The following should be read alongside this article: "
Turkish ‘secular’ demonstration prepares way for military coup
article_id=11324

KRAMNIK TO ARRIVE IN ARMENIA ON MAY 2

ArmRadio.am
30.04.2007 16:11

World Chess Champion, Russian Vladimir Kramnik will arrive in Armenia
on May 2 to participate in a chess tournament with Armenian Grand
Master Levon Aronyan to be held on May 4-6 in the National Theatre of
Opera and Ballet. The tournament will be comprised of 6 games with
the rules of rapid chess. On each day of the tournament there will
be a briefing for press.

Secretary General of RA Chess Federation Gagik Hovhannisyan told
Armenpress that Aronyan-Kramink tournament has caused great interest
among sport lovers and media.

U.S. COUNTRY REPORTS ON TERRORISM – ARMENIA

Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
May 1 2007

Released by the US Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism
April 30, 2007

Armenia

"With substantial U.S. assistance, Armenia continued to strengthen
its capacity to counter the country’s few perceived terrorist
threats. Armenia’s geographic location, porous borders, and loose visa
regime presents opportunities for traffickers of illicit materials,
persons, and finances.

Armenia’s reliance on ties with neighboring Iran have dampened Armenian
criticism of Iranian extremism and led to closer trade relations
between the two countries. Diplomatic and trade relations with Iran
are seen as a geographic and strategic necessity for the landlocked
country, in light of closed borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan,
and the perceived risk of instability in Georgia.

President Kocharian spoke out in November against the possibility of
international sanctions against Iran.

The Financial Monitoring Center (FMC), a U.S. – supported financial
intelligence unit within the Central Bank, is still developing
as a regulatory body. Established in 2005, the FMC began to make
investigative strides this year. The FMC received 23 suspicious
transaction reports in 2006. After analyzing the reports, the FMC
developed five suspicious transaction cases; three of the cases
were subsequently referred to the Prosecutor General’s office for
further investigation. To date, the FMC has received no reports
of transactions involving watch-list designees. The heavy flow of
remittances, however, may hinder efforts to detect fund transfers in
support of terrorism. The FMC has applied for Egmont Group membership.

Armenia introduced additional security features into the production
of passports, continued to install passport readers at border posts,
and continued efforts to increase the security of its vital documents,
such as birth certificates. On November 1, the government implemented
mandatory fingerprinting for travelers departing Zvartnots Airport,
Armenia’s only international airport. The National Security Service
(NSS) and police shared information with the U.S. Embassy when they
discovered fraudulent U.S. visas or other such documents.

In May, the UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team for
al-Qaida and the Taliban visited Armenia to monitor the implementation
of sanctions under UNSCR 1267 and successor resolutions. The team
met with the Central Bank, the Ministry of Defense, the National
Security Service and the Police, as well as the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs. According to the MFA, the team said it was satisfied with
Armenia’s level of preparedness. Armenia supported U.S. efforts in
Iraq with troops on the ground and provided overflight authorization
in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

In September, Armenia participated in a CIS-wide exercise called
"Atom-Antiterror 2006." The Armenian Special Forces together with the
Russian Federal Security Service, ran counterterrorism and hostage
release drills at the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant."

Congressional Record: April 24, 2007 (Extensions)]
[Page E840]
>From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:cr24ap07-13]

NINETY-SECOND COMMEMORATION OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

______

speech of

HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

of new york

in the house of representatives

Monday, April 23, 2007

Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, as a proud member of the
Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, and the representative of a
large and vibrant community of Armenian Americans, I rise to join my
colleagues in the sad commemoration of the Armenian Genocide.
Today we declare to people living in every corner of our globe that
the Turkish and American governments must finally acknowledge what we
have long understood: that the unimaginable horror committed on Turkish
soil in the aftermath of World War I was, and is, an act of genocide.
The tragic events that began on April 24, 1915, which are well known to
all of us, should be part of the history curriculum in every Turkish
and American school. On that dark April day, more than 200 of Armenia’s
religious, political and intellectual leaders were arrested in
Constantinople and killed. Ultimately, more than 1.5 million Armenians
were systematically murdered at the hands of the Young Turks, and more
than 500,000 more were exiled from their native land.
On this 92nd anniversary of the beginning of the genocide, I join
with the chorus of voices that grows louder with each passing year. We
simply will not allow ice planned elimination of an entire people to
remain in the shadows of history. The Armenian Genocide must be
acknowledged, studied, and never, ever allowed to happen again.
Last year I joined with my colleagues in the Caucus in urging PBS not
to give a platform to the deniers of the genocide by canceling a
planned broadcast of a panel which included two scholars who deny the
Armenian Genocide. This panel was to follow the airing of a documentary
about the Armenian Genocide. Representative Anthony Weiner and I led a
successful effort to convince Channel Thirteen in New York City to pull
the plug on these genocide deniers. The parliaments of Canada, France,
and Switzerland have all passed resolutions affirming that the Armenian
people were indeed subjected to genocide. The United States must do the
same. I will not stop fighting until long overdue legislation
acknowledging the Armenian Genocide finally passes. I am hopeful that
this resolution will make it to the Floor for a vote before the full
House of Representatives this Congress.
An acknowledgment of the genocide is not our only objective. I remain
committed to ensuring that the U.S. government continues to provide
direct financial assistance to Armenia. Over the years, this aid has
played a critical role in the economic and political advancement of the
Armenian people. I have joined with my colleagues in requesting
military parity between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the FY08 Foreign
Operations Appropriations bill.
We also have requested an adequate level of economic assistance for
Armenia and assistance to Nagorno-Karabakh. Legislation passed in the
109th Congress and signed into law to reauthorize the Export-Import
Bank included important language prohibiting the Bank from funding
railroad projects in the South Caucasus region that deliberately
exclude Armenia. American tax dollars should not be used to support
efforts to isolate Armenia, and these provisions would prevent that by
ensuring that U.S. funds are not used to support the construction of a
new railway that bypasses Armenia. A railway already exists that
connects the nations of Turkey, Georgia, and Azerbaijan, but because it
crosses Armenia, an expensive and unnecessary new railway had been
proposed. Allowing the exclusion of Armenia from important
transportation routes would stymie the emergence of this region as an
important East-West trade corridor. It is in our economic and security
interests to ensure that the aggression against Armenia comes to an
end.
On this solemn day, our message is clear: the world remembers the
Armenian genocide, and the governments of Turkey and the United States
must declare–once and for all–that they do, too.

____________________

Force is inadmissible in resolution of Iranian problem, Kocharian says

PanARMENIAN.Net
27.04.2007 16:04 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Relations with Iran are very important for
Armenia. We do not have relations with two out of four neighbors. Thus,
neighborly relations with Iran are strategically important, since
they secure transport corridor and energy," Armenian President Robert
Kocharian said during a meeting with the students of the Yerevan
State University. Armenia tries to bypass Iran’s nuclear file. "I am
convinced that each state has a right to atomic energy. Iran is not an
exception. Anyway, the problem should be resolved peacefully. Force is
inadmissible," the President underscored adding that if Iran develops
nuclear armament it will become an additional headache for Armenia.

Why young people in Karabakh do not get married

28-04-2007 12:05:48 – KarabakhOpen

Young men often leave Karabakh for work and stay abroad for a long
time. And this issue must be in the focus of the government. A doctor
of the republic maternity hospital stated this during a round-table
meeting on the demography and the rate of birth in Karabakh, held by
Good Samaritan and Maternity NGOs.

First, the participants of the meeting were offered statistics. On
the basis of this information they discussed the low birth rate and
the rise in the rate of abortion. Marianna Hakobyan, the head of the
department of youth of the NKR ministry of education and culture,
said in Karabakh there is a rather high number of unmarried young men,
especially in rural areas. They say the reason is poverty and housing.

Doctor Gohar Hovanisyan, chair of the Hanganak Organization, said
young girls and boys do not get adequate "birds and bees" information,
which is often the cause of unplanned pregnancy and abortion. Doctors
propose teaching ethic and esthetics of family life and deliver
regular lectures on sexual education at school.

It was noted that it would not be serious to rely on such a program
alone. A complex of measures is necessary. The participants of the
round-table meeting are likely to extend proposals on stimulation of
birth rate to the government.

The organizers of the meeting said they had invited members of
parliament, officials of the Ministry of Health and the Office of
Prosecutor General but they did not show up.

ARMENIAN EX-SPEAKER ACCUSED OF ‘TREASON’
By Karine Kalantarian and Ruzanna Khachatrian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
April 27 2007

Statements reportedly made by Armenia’s former parliament speaker
Artur Baghdasarian in his secretly recorded conversation with a senior
British diplomat constitute high treason, President Robert Kocharian
claimed on Friday.

It was Kocharian’s first public reaction to the publication by a
pro-presidential newspaper of purported details of Baghdasarian’s
recent private meeting with the number two official in the British
embassy in Yerevan. The leader of the opposition Orinats Yerkir Party
was quoted as urging the European Union to criticize the Armenian
authorities’ handling of the upcoming parliamentary elections.

"It’s hard to imagine that the former chairman of the National
Assembly could fall so low," Kocharian told students at Yerevan State
University. "I don’t want to use legal terms. For me, this is a real
manifestation of treason. That manifestation is all the more ugly
given that it was done at his own initiative."

Kocharian made it clear, however, that Baghdasarian will not be
prosecuted under a relevant article of the Armenian Criminal Code.

"We have received hundreds of phone calls in connection with that fact,
various kinds of comments as to how such a politician can take part
in the elections," he said. "But I don’t think it would be right for
state bodies to come up with some tough actions.

"The elections are coming up, and let every voter decide whether
patriotism and dignity matters to them. If it doesn’t, let them vote
[for Baghdasarian’s party.]"

Baghdasarian supported Kocharian and was considered one of his
potential favored successors until Orinats Yerkir was forced to quit
Armenia’s governing coalition one year ago. The populist party is now
one of the main opposition contenders of the elections scheduled for
May 12.

The British embassy on Thursday acknowledged that one of its top
diplomats met Baghdasarian at a Yerevan restaurant last February but
condemned the "dishonest" recording of their conversation revealed by
the newspaper "Golos Armenii." The paper, which is staunchly supportive
of Kocharian, published what it described as excerpts from that
conversation on Saturday and Thursday. The ex-speaker was quoted as
saying that the EU should issue "some signal of alarm" before May 12.

Baghdasarian was quick to hit back at Kocharian’s extraordinary
accusation. "I consider it condemnable and unacceptable," he told
reporters during a campaign trip to the southern town of Echmiadzin.

"The traitors are all those who rig elections and disgrace the
fatherland."

Speaking to RFE/RL earlier on Friday, Baghdasarian repeated his strong
condemnation of the "Golos Armenii" reports. "This is a violation of
not only the constitution and laws but moral norms," he said. "Even
worse is the fact that the content of the conversation was distorted
and dirty comments were made about it."

"I have said and am repeating now that Armenia’s upcoming elections
must meet international standards and that the international community,
to which Armenia has assumed obligations, must closely follow the
upcoming electoral processes," he added.

Kocharian, meanwhile, was anxious to dispel widespread suspicions that
the secret recording, which is illegal under Armenian law, was the work
of the National Security Service (NSS). "After reading the first report
I immediately instructed the National Security Service to contact the
newspaper and examine all circumstances of that recording," he told
university students. "Sadly, what was reported … fully corresponds
to reality."

Kocharian stressed the fact that another opposition leader, Aram
Karapetian, has said that he got hold of a copy of the scandalous
recording before it was published by "Golos Armenii." Karapetian was
summoned to the NSS on Thursday to provide further explanations. He
claimed after the interrogation that the former KGB itself recorded
the conversation and deliberately planted a compact disc containing
the audio on his office doorstep to deflect suspicions about its
involvement in the affair.

The pro-opposition daily "Haykakan Zhamanak" published on Thursday
other details of Baghdasarian’s meeting with the British diplomat
identified as Richard Hyde, the deputy chief of mission, which were not
reported by "Golos Armenii." In particular, Baghdasarian was quoted
as detailing vote irregularities allegedly planned and committed by
the governing Republican Party of Armenia.

According to "Haykakan Zhamanak," the Orinats Yerkir leader said the
elections can already be considered to have been falsified. "We know
that," Hyde was said to have replied.

EU ENVISAGES IMPROVING TRADE REGIMES WITH ARMENIA

Noyan Tapan
Apr 26 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 26, NOYAN TAPAN. Presenting the results of the 6th
sitting of the EU-Armenia Cooperation’s Trade, Economic and Legal
Issues Subcommittee in Yerevan on April 26, the Armenian co-chair of
the subcommittee, the RA Minister of Trade and Economic Development
Tigran Davtian attached importance to discussions on improvement of
trade regimes between the EU and Armenia and on procedures of entry
visa provision to Armenian citizens.

He reminded that Armenia now exports goods to the EU by the GSP
(General System of Preferences) regime that functions for transitional
economies. During the sitting, the issue of granting GSP+ regime
to Armenia was discussed, and Armenia was proposed to submit an
official application for it until early 2008. To recap, this regime
is granted to countries with sustainably developing economy. In case
of receiving it, Armenia will have the opportunity to export goods
to most EU countries at zero rate (the matter concerns 7.2 thousand
commodity groups out of 8.5 thousand commodity groups – subjects of
foreign economic activity).

In the words of T. Davtian, a principal agreement was reached to
start the process of granting free trade regime to Armenia. He said
that the EU will select an independent expert company to examine, in
a 8-month period, the possible consequences of the regime’s granting
for Armenia and the EU. The negotiation process will be conducted
based on the examination results and may last several years.

According to him, in June of 2007, European experts will begin studies
preceding the granting of "market economy" status to Armenia by EU.

T. Davtian said that the European side proposed to simplify the
procedures of visa granting to certain groups of the Armenian
population: businessmen, students, journalists, organized tourists.

During the sitting, EU representatives expressed satisfaction at
macroeconomic indices registered in Armenia, spoke about Armenia’s
tax sector without criticism, underlined the necessity to make
improvements in the customs sector, particularly, to improve the
order of determining the costs of goods imported from EU countries.