Catholicos Of All Armenians Receives Minister Of Culture Of Belarus

CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS RECEIVES MINISTER OF CULTURE OF BELARUS

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 26, 2008

ETCHMIADZIN, MAT 26, NOYAN TAPAN. His Holiness Karekin II, the
Catholicos of All Armenians, received Vladimir Matveychuk, the
Minister of Culture of the Republic of Belarus, accompanied by Gagik
Gyurjian, the RA Deputy Minister of Culture, and Marina Dolgopolova,
the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic
of Belarus to the Republic of Armenia, in the Mother See of Holy
Etchmiadzin on May 21.

During the meeting His Holiness welcomed the cooperation program
signed between the Ministries of Culture of the two countries and
wished productive process for the implementation of the program. His
Holiness Patriarch referred to the warm friendly relations existing
between the two peoples with content and attached importance to the
intercultural contacts and relations in their development.

They also referred to the life of the Armenian community of Belarus
and the religious mosaic picture of the latter.

http://www.nt.am/news.php?shownews=113776

Premier: Institutions To Manage Business Of Public Servants Needed I

PREMIER: INSTITUTIONS TO MANAGE BUSINESS OF PUBLIC SERVANTS NEEDED IN ARMENIA

ARKA
May 26, 2008

YEREVAN, May 26. /ARKA/. Special institutions need to be set up
in Armenia to manage businesses of public servants during the time
when they will be holding public posts and will not be allowed to
make business in parallel, Armenian Premier Tigran Sargsian said at
the financial and banking conference held in Armenian resort town
of Dilijan.

The concept on creating the new institution is currently under
development, he said.

The Premier stressed the necessity to think about possibilities to
intensify investment funds and asset management funds as this field
has serious potential for development.

Studies conducted by the Central Bank of Armenia based on the last
year’s performance showed that the population has about $2bln at hand,
and this money do not serve the purpose of development due to lack of
a range of functions and instruments on the country’s financial market.

Establishing new trust institutes will facilitate accumulating these
funds, he said adding that the pension reforms implying use of various
schemes (including introduction of a long-term accumulation system)
will also promote intensification of investments funds and asset
management funds.

"This will allow us increasing the amounts to be transferred to asset
management funds," the Premier said.

The Mission Of Levon’s Emissaries

THE MISSION OF LEVON’S EMISSARIES
Vrezh Aharonyan

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on May 22, 2008
Armenia

As shown by the developments of the internal political life, the
discussions around PACE Resolution # 1609, adopted on April 17, are
becoming more and more heated. There are great expectations especially
in Mr. Ter-Petrosyan’s team.

Here, the process of increasing the "extent of pressure" upon the
Armenian authorities through the European structures is viewed as
a priority.

For solving this problem, the pro-Levon activists have put into
practice all the potentials of their political arsenal, including both
delicate irony and swaggering. As to what extent the expectations of
L. Ter-Petrosyan’s political team from the PACE Resolution are real
and to what extent the team will manage maintain this policy as a
"hot line" by the established time-limit (June), it’s a matter of time.

However, one fact is already obvious: the European diplomatic and
political circles are beginning to adopt a reserved attitude towards
revolutionary extremism.

It’s a well-known fact that a week before the May 2 congress,
L. Ter-Petrosyan’s office sent invitations of participation to all
the Heads of the embassies (especially those of the Member States of
the Council of Europe) accredited to Yerevan and the international
organizations, being confident that they would attend the first big
event organized after March 1. However, no serious representative of
the diplomatic corpse was present at the May 2 congress (there were
only three diplomats); the embassies of the United States, England
and Romania were represented on the level of ordinary employees.

This fact infuriated the leadership of the movement and especially
L. Ter-Petrosyan who, if you remember, constructed his speech in
the context of sending "messages" to foreign countries. For two days
following the congress, Ter-Petrosyan’s office was busy translating
the text of the ex-President’s speech; later, the material was sent
to the embassies in DVD format.

Of course, the European diplomatic structures did the right thing by
refusing to participate in the congress; however, in case of a more
in-depth analysis, they will arrive at the conclusion that Armenia’s
compliance with the requirements of PACE Resolution # 1609 is not
advantageous to L. Ter-Petrosyan and his movement. Because in that
case they will have but one choice: to publicly recognize and admit
their own defeat.

The developments around the requirements of the PACE Resolution and
the authorities’ delay in complying with some of its clauses directly
serve as a lifebuoy for Ter-Petrosyan and his team, as they have found
themselves in a deadlock. We believe the "pan-national movement" has
already exhausted itself, and Resolution # 1609 is L. Ter-Petrosyan’s
last chance for saving the reputation the collapsing movement
vs. stabilizing the situation in the country.

Anyway, all L. Ter-Petrosyan wants is to have the PACE not only
deprive Armenia of the right to vote but also raise the question of
our country’s membership in that structure. But the issue is whether
the overwhelming majority of the RA citizens desire that. This is the
question that should arouse concerns among the European structures
as well.

By the way, according to available information, L. Ter-Petrosyan
has decided to send a group of emissaries to Washington under the
leadership of David Shahnazaryan, being dissatisfied with the results
of the recent hearings held in the US Congress with regard to the
current situation in Armenia. The most noteworthy circumstance is that,
during all the meetings in the United States, the above-mentioned
group will try to substantiate the fact that all the allocations under
the "Millennium Challenges" program as well as the other financial
investments will be reduced to dust in our country which is facing
political instability.

This is the true story. Seeking, on the one hand, to win sympathy in
society, and on the other had, disguise his treacherous image, L.

Ter-Petrosyan appeals to the United States not to suspend the
financial allocations; on the other hand, its team is doing its best
to substantiate that "there’s no need to give money to transitional
authorities."

This is L. Ter-Petrosyan’s political style; here is an issue that
foreign countries should really think about.

Discussions On Armenian-Turkish Relations

DISCUSSIONS ON ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS

AZG Armenian Daily
22/05/2008

Armenia-Turkey

With the assistance of the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID) a conference under heading "Global challenges and
threats: Are joint efforts between Armenia and Turkey possible?" was
held at "Congress" hotel in Yerevan.

Eurasia Partnership Foundation together with the Analytical Center
for Globalization and Regional Cooperation organized the conference.

Armenian and Turkish experts, representatives of Embassies and several
international organizations accredited to Armenia participated in
the conference.

Head of Political Department of the US Embassy Steven Banks mentioned
that the USA with its active diplomatic efforts tries to contribute
to the establishment of relations between Armenia and Turkey, but
these efforts of NGOs may also contribute to the establishment of
diplomatic relations.

As Director of the Analytical Center for Globalization and Regional
Cooperation Stepan Grigorian mentioned the public discussions of
Armenian-Turkish relations may be more efficient as they are conducted
in more unconstrained atmosphere.

Armen Ashotian, Alexander Iskandarian from Armenia, Diba Nigar Goksel,
Cem Toker, Arda Batu from Turkey also delivered speeches. According
to them, in spite of various available issues, there are also issues
where the interests of the two countries may coincide.

HSBC Bank Armenia To Join "Arca" Processing System This Year

HSBC BANK ARMENIA TO JOIN "ARCA" PROCESSING SYSTEM THIS YEAR

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 20, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 20, NOYAN TAPAN. HSBC Bank Armenia will join the Armenian
Card (ArCA) processing system by the 4th quarter of 2008, which will
create an opportunity to receive money from cash machines of HSBC Bank
Armenia by using ArCa plastic cards of other banks – at the rates of
ArCa system’s participant banks. ArCa cards are currently serviced
by the cash machines of HSBC Bank Armenia but at the higher rates of
HSBC Holding international bank group. The CEO of HSBC Bank Armenia
Tim Slater said this at the May 20 press conference.

According to him, the bank now considers the possibility of installing
cash-in machines.

Speaking about crediting programs of HSBC Bank Armenia, T. Slater
said that the total amount of crediting by the bank will make about
270 mln USD in late 2008, including mortgage credits of 80 mln USD
(55 mln USD in late 2007) and car credits of about 16 mln USD (13.5
mln USD in late 2007).

In the words of T. Slater, a growth in interest rates has been
observed now in the Armenian market of banking services, there is
great demand for credits. On the other hand, the growth in interest
rates of deposits has slowed down, while the refinancing interest
rate of the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) has increased from 4%
to 6.75% in recent years. He said that under such conditions, many
banks have suspended provision of mortgage credits, whereas HSBC Bank
Armenia continues to provide this service: mortgage crediting is done
at 11% interest rate (in drams) and 14% interest rate (in dollars)
for a period of 15 years. The possibility of increasing the repayment
period to 20 years is now being considered.

It was stated that the bank together with the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the International Finance
Corporation (IFC) is discussing the possibility of providing joint
(syndicate) commercial credits in Armenia.

T. Slater said that this year the bank’s indices are also in line
with the programmed ones: in January-April 2008, its after-tax profit
made 3.8 mln USD, growing by 27% as compared with the same period of
last year.

http://www.nt.am/news.php?shownews=113584

On Pluralism And Responsibility

ON PLURALISM AND RESPONSIBILITY

KarabakhOpen
20-05-2008 13:04:25

President Bako Sahakyan met with the members of the Democratic Party
led by the speaker of the NKR National Assembly Ashot Ghulyan.

According to the press release, "the president highly appreciated
the constructive atmosphere among the political forces, the society
and the government." In this context, the president underlined the
necessity for an open discussion of the problems the country is facing.

Several days ago Prime Minister Ara Harutiunyan met with the members
of his Azat Hayrenik Party.

Earlier the second conference of the Democratic Party had been held
in which Ashot Ghulyan said "the efforts of some political parties
to pull the blanket to their side" are not the best stimulus for
political cooperation.

By the way, all the political parties of the parliament, the Democratic
Party of Artsakh, Azat Hayrenik, the ARF Dashnaktsutyun and Movement
88, endorsed President Bako Sahakyan in the past presidential election.

Presently there is no opposition in Karabakh.

Schiff Introduces Bill Calling For The End Of Turkey’s Blockade Of A

SCHIFF INTRODUCES BILL CALLING FOR THE END OF TURKEY’S BLOCKADE OF ARMENIA

arminfo
2008-05-16 16:40:00 Rep.

ArmInfo. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) introduced legislation today calling
on the President and Secretary of State to urge Turkey to lift its
15 year blockade of Armenia and outline concrete steps taken by
the Administration in that effort, reported the Armenian National
Committee of America (ANCA.)

Titled the "End the Turkish Blockade of Armenia Act," the legislation
notes that "Turkey’s ongoing blockade of Armenia does not promote
regional security and prosperity, thereby undermining the short-term
and long-term policy objectives of the United States." It goes on to
cite that the "Department of State has estimated that the blockade is
inflating Armenia’s transportation costs by between 30 and 35 percent,
thereby stifling its trade and economy." The resolution, in addition to
calling for the immediate lifting of Turkey’s blockade, would mandate
that the Secretary of State "submit to Congress a report that outlines
the steps taken and plans made by the United States to end Turkey’s
blockade of Armenia," within thirty days of the bill’s passage.

Levon Aronian Takes 5th Place In International Chess Tournament In S

LEVON ARONIAN TAKES 5th PLACE IN INTERNATIONAL CHESS TOURNAMENT IN SOFIA

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 15, 2008

SOFIA, MAY 15, NOYAN TAPAN. Levon Aronian was beaten by Veselin
Topalov (Bulgaria) on May 15, in the 6th tour of the International
Chess Tournament being held in Sofia. Aronian is in the 5th place
with 1.5 points and will compete with Ivan Cheparinov (Bulgaria)
in the 7th tour. Vasili Ivanchuk is the leader with 5.5 points.

http://www.nt.am/news.php?shownews=113376

RA MFA: Approaches Voiced By Azerbaijan Have Nothing In Common With

RA MFA: APPROACHES VOICED BY AZERBAIJAN HAVE NOTHING IN COMMON WITH DOCUMENT ON THE TABLE

PanARMENIAN.Net
15.05.2008 18:18 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Pushing forth its views on the Karabakh problem,
Azerbaijan will never be able to introduce them in the document under
discussion, Armenia’s Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said when
commenting on statement by Araz Azimov, Azeri Deputy FM.

According to Azimov, the Karabakh conflict may be resolved in the
framework of territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, the goal of the
settlement process being not only return of 7 regions surrounding
Nagorno Karabakh but also transfer of NKR under Azerbaijan’s
jurisdiction.

"Approaches voiced by Azerbaijan have nothing in common with the
document on the table. The key issue is Nagorno Karabakh’s status to
be determined through plebiscite. The OSCE MG mediators presented
proposals which are the result of long and scrupulous work and
talks should be continued on the basis on these proposals," Minister
Nalbandian said, IA Regnum reports.

Counterpart Renovated Kitchen And Laundry In Boarding Kindergarten #

COUNTERPART RENOVATED KITCHEN AND LAUNDRY IN BOARDING KINDERGARTEN #14 OF YEREVAN

armradio.am
15.05.2008 12:05

On May 15, 2008, Coordinator of U.S. Assistance to Europe and Eurasia,
Ambassador Thomas Adams, cut the ribbon marking the opening of the
newly reconstructed kitchen and laundry of Boarding Kindergarten #14
in Yerevan.

The project was initiated in response to the kindergarten’s acute
humanitarian needs and implemented by Counterpart International’s
Community & Humanitarian Assistance Program (CHAP) under the
U.S. Department of State-funded Small Reconstruction Projects.

Counterpart’s CHAP has partnered with Boarding Kindergarten #14
since 2003, delivering highly needed humanitarian assistance in the
form of food, bedding, household items, school and hygiene supplies,
clothing and footwear. Overall, the value of the assistance comes to
$30 thousand.

Maro Abrahamyan, the Kindergarten Director, underlined in her request
letter addressed to Counterpart that children with special needs from
socially vulnerable families, orphans, as well as weak-sighted,
hearing-impaired and dysphasia-affected youngsters attend the
kindergarten. Renovation of the kitchen and laundry will allow the
staff to improve the overall sanitary and hygiene conditions. The
kindergarten currently serves 210 children. About 50 children stay
overnight.

The U.S. Department of State allocated $10,000 for reconstruction of
the kindergarten’s kitchen and laundry and LDS charities contributed
furniture and equipment for both facilities. The Small Reconstruction
Project was implemented by Counterpart’s CHAP in close cooperation with
the kindergarten management, which provided a financial contribution
and carried out cleaning and preparatory work. As a result of
the joint efforts by the US Department of State, Counterpart, LDS
Charities and the management of the kindergarten, the children now
have a healthy environment.