FUTURE OWNER OF ARMENIAN STOCK EXCHANGE INFORMED ABOUT MERGER WITH NASDAQ

Mediamax News Agency, Armenia
May 25 2007

Yerevan, May 25 /Mediamax/. The future owner of the Armenian Stock
Exchange and the Central Depository of Armenia – the Swedish OMX Group,
informed about its merger with NASDAQ Company.

Mediamax reports referring the world media that the new company will
be called NASDAQ OMX Group.

The cost of the deal is estimated to $3.67bln.

Mediamax recalls that in late April the OMX and the Armenian government
declared that the Swedish Group would become the owner of the Armenian
Stock Exchange and the Central Depository.

The Vice-President of OMX Niclas Lilja stated in an exclusive
interview to Mediamax that "the Armenian market has great interest to
develop". According to him, "the stakeholders need to have incentives
to overcome the hinders".

Answering Mediamax’s question on whether the arrival of OMX in
Armenia means that the shares of large Armenian companies will be
able to enter the international market, Niclas Lilja said: "First we
aim to develop the local market, and by doing that making it easier
for investors and companies to find each other".

"First thing is make it possible to invest. Technical barriers have
made that quite difficult. Investment decisions should be based on
transparent information. If investor can rely on the transparency,
the investment can be done timely and smoothly and this is already
a big win to local investors. Gradual increase in liquidity and
introduction of new companies are on the list also. Long-term plan is
to enable the Armenian investors to reach out to foreign securities",
Vice-President of OMX Group Niclas Lilja stated then in an exclusive
interview to Mediamax.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress