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ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT RATIFIES AGREEMENT WITH ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK ON $500 MLN FRAMEWORK FINANCING OF RENOVATION OF INTERSTATE ROADS

ArmInfo
2010-02-03 09:04:00

The National Assembly of Armenia has ratified the agreement with
the Asian Development Bank on framework financing worth $500 mln for
renovation of interstate roads with 106 votes "for", 5 "against" and
no . The funds will be allocated for development of the North-South
transport corridor including construction and repair of roads from
the southern border (with Iran), to the northern border (with Georgia)
of Armenia. Additional 462 mln USD will be allocated by the Armenian
government and Japan Agency for International Cooperation. 942 mln USD
of the total amount will be directed to development of the transport
corridor, 10 mln – to improvement of the border infrastructure and 10
mln – to institutional development. 60 mln will be allocated from the
ADB funds for 32 years at the interest rate of 1.5% p.a., the grace
period being the first 8 years at 1% p.a.

The conditions of provision of the rest of the funds will be determined
on the basis of LIBOR rate, the commission fee being 0.15% p.a. The
tranches will be provided till 2017.

The parliament also ratified an agreement on provision of the first
tranche worth 60 mln USD, the government’s co-financing being 10 mln
USD. 38 mln of this amount will be allocated for construction work,
7 mln – for institutional support, 10 mln – for taxes and customs
duties, 13 mln – for incidental expenditures, and 2 mln – for payment
of interests. Within the frames of the first tranche, it is envisaged
to rehabilitate 18.4 km section of the 4-strip highway between Yerevan
and Ashtarak, north of the capital, as well as to enhance the security
of the Yerevan- Ararat section, south of the capital. Within the
frames of the second tranche, it is envisaged to repair the 88 km
Ashtarak-Gyumri section and improvement of the border infrastructure.

Economy Minister of Armenia Nerses Yeritsyan presented the project
in the parliament and said that the government will receive at least
15 million dollars in terms of taxes from trade and growing export,
opening of new enterprises after the project is implemented, as well
as cut expenses thanks to reduction of transport expenses on the new
road. The program will be implemented maximum transparently for all
the parties interested. A number of parliamentarians asked if the new
highway will be paid. This issue has not been discussed yet, though a
concept of paid highways is currently being developed. However, it will
be discussed for over a year and all the parties interested will have
an opportunity to participate in the public hearings," Nerses Yeritsyan
said. He came out for creation of a cooperation model with a number of
local universities, including the American university in Armenia and
the State Engineering University of Armenia to educate new engineers.

Asian Development Bank reports that the transport corridor will
increase the cross-border commodity turnover in Armenia from 4.6
million ton/km yearly in 2008 to 10 million in 2017 and the load
of the North-South corridor from 3 to 6 thousand cars daily. The
passage time will be reduced from 3-4 to 2 days. The corridor will
meet 100km/h speed standard. In total 550 km highways will be repaired
under the program.

IN JANUARY-DECEMBER 2009 VOLUME OF GDP IN AGRICULTURE WAS 555.7 BILLION DRAMS REDUCED BY 0.1%

ARKA
Feb 2, 2010

YEREVAN, February 2. /ARKA/. In January-December 2009 total volume
of agricultural products in prices was 555.7 billion drams reduced
by 0.1% compared with the same period of 2008.

Livestock products made 209.3 billion drams increased by 1%, plant
growing – 346.4 billion drams reduced by 0.7% and forestry products –
1.3 billion drams reduced by 15.5%.

Sale of meat of livestock and poultry (in live weight) increased by
0.2% compared with January-December 2008 and is 126.2 thousand tons.

The largest volume of meat was realized in Gegharkunik region –
21.7 thousand tons whereas the same indicator was 0.5 thousand tons
in Yerevan.

Milk production was reduced by 1.3% compared with last year and is
653 thousand tons. The highest indicator was registered in Gegharkunik
region – 123.5 thousand tons.

Egg production increased by 9.4% making 630.1 million eggs. The highest
indicator was registered in Kotayk region – 181.4 million eggs. ($1 –
376.03 drams.

GAGIK TSARUKYAN: IT WILL BE A GOOD RESULT IF ARMENIA RANKS TOP TEN AT OLYMPICS

PanARMENIAN.Net
02.02.2010 20:53 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ 21 Winter Olympics will be held in the Canadian city
of Vancouver from February 12 to 28. Kristine Khachatryan and Sergey
Mikaelyan (skiing), Ani-Matilda Serebryakyan and Arsen Nersisyan
(downhill skiing) will represent Armenia in the Olympic Games. The
delegation will leave for Vancouver on February 5.

On February 2 the President of the National Olympic Committee of
Armenia Gagik Tsarukyan and the newly appointed Minister of Sport
and Youth Affairs Artur Petrosyan met with journalists and sports
delegation at the Olympic Committee of Armenia. "Because of the
climatic conditions winter sports are not so well developed in our
country. And we do not expect gold or silver medals from the Olympics.

It will be a good result if Armenia ranks top ten at Olympics,"
Tsarukyan said. President of the National Olympic Committee on behalf
of the International Olympic Committee, presented certificates to
members of the Armenian delegation.

HERITAGE OPPOSES PROTOCOLS RATIFICATION, WITH OR WITHOUT RESERVATIONS

PanARMENIAN.Net
01.02.2010 14:56 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Heritage party member’s exclusion from the Armenian
delegation to PACE means that fear controls parliamentarians’
activities both in Armenia and Europe, Heritage parliamentary group
member Raffi Hovannisian said.

"Such mentality is to blame for the existence of political prisoners
and unpunished extermination of Armenia’s cultural heritage," he told
a news conference on Monday, when commenting on MP Zaruhi Postanjyan’s
expulsion from the delegation.

"It’s nonsense when a person, publicly denying the Armenian
Genocide can be elected to senior post in European institution. Such
appointments send a challenge to Armenia and its politicians," he said.

As to Heritage-Dashnaktsutyun collaboration, the parliamentarian
said it has to expand, as well the entire opposition field. "I’m
not sure about Dashnaktsutyun, but Heritage will remain opposed
to ratification of Protocols, with or without reservations,"
Mr. Hovhannesyan concluded.

Founded in 2002, Heritage , a National Liberal Party, is national by
its roots, liberal in its economic principle, and an advocate of the
democratic system of governance and due process for its citizens. The
party’s objective is the development of Armenia as a democratic,
lawful, and rights-based country that anchors its domestic and foreign
policies in the nation’s sovereign interest. During the party’s Third
Congress on May 30, 2005, Raffi K. Hovannisian was elected chairman.

The other eight members of the party board were elected by secret vote.

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun is an Armenian
political party founded in Tiflis (Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia)
in 1890 by Christapor Mikaelian, Stepan Zorian, and Simon Zavarian
The ARF has the largest number of members from the political parties
present in the Armenian Diaspora, having established affiliates in
more than 200 countries.

The ARF Dashnaktsutyun led the effort toward the establishment of
the first Armenian Republic in 1918 and was the party in power for
the duration of its existence. Following the Sovietization of Armenia
in 1920, the ARF-Dashnaktsutyun was banned by the Communists and its
leadership exiled.

In the Diaspora, the ARF Dashnaktsutyun fought Soviet rule over
Armenia and championed the cause of Armenian rights and independence;
it played a leading role in organizing a social and cultural framework
aimed at preserving the Armenian identity.

The ARF Dashnaktsutyun officially re-emerged in Armenia during the
dissolution of the USSR, in 1990.

On December 28, 1994, the activities of the ARF-Dashnaktsutyun were
"temporarily suspended" by the Armenian authorities. In view of
the political nature of the anti-ARF interdictions by the Armenian
authorities, the ARF continued to operate in Armenia. On February 9,
1998, less than a week after the resignation of the then president
Ter-Petrossian, the Justice Ministry lifted the ban on the ARF
Dashnaktsutyun.

The Protocols aimed at normalization of bilateral ties and opening of
the border between Armenia and Turkey were signed in Zurich by Armenian
Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and his Turkish counterpart Ahmet
Davutoglu on October 10, 2009, after a series of diplomatic talks
held through Swiss mediation.

On January 12, 2010, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of
Armenia found the protocols conformable to the country’s Organic Law.

VIC DARCHINYAN TO COMBAT MEXICAN RODRIGO GUERRERO

PanARMENIAN.Net
01.02.2010 20:31 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The son of an Armenian Olympic wrestling coach,
Darchinyan finally landed an opponent last Friday in the form of
Mexican Rodrigo Guerrero.

To defend his WBA and WBC world title belts, Darchinyan intends to
mix up his training regimen to try to improve his already brutal
punching power.

Gone are the heavy sessions in the gym bench-pressing 120kg and doing
hundreds of push-ups with his feet elevated on top of one corner of
the ring.

Instead, the Sydney Olympian has been working with world champion
discuss thrower Dani Samuels to improve the fast-twitch muscle fibres
and explosive power in his legs.

Parramatta Eels conditioning gurus Hayden Knowles and Craig Catterick
are supervising the new lower-body program.

"Vic doesn’t need to work on his upper body, boxing is enough for
him in terms of maintenance there," Knowles said. "But by working
on the power from his legs, we believe we can increase his power
quite considerably."

Darchinyan’s manager Elias Nasser admitted the assignment of finding
fights was tough because of Darchinyan’s fearsome reputation, The
Sunday Telegraph reported.

Vakhtang Darchinyan (born 7 January, 1976 in Vanadzor, Armenia) is a
professional boxer who is the current WBA, WBC unified Super Flyweight
World Champion. Darchinyan was also formerly the IBF and IBO champion
of the flyweight division and briefly reigned as the IBO’s super
flyweight champion also. He is a southpaw boxer, who currently trains
under Billy Hussein, brother of boxers Nedal and Hussein Hussein.

Previously, he was trained by former 3-division world champion,
Jeff Fenech in Sydney.

RA FOREIGN MINISTER PAYS OFFICIAL VISIT TO NORWAY

Noyan Tapan
Feb 1, 2010

OSLO, FEBRUARY 1, NOYAN TAPAN. RA Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian
during his January 29 short official visit to Oslo met with his
Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Store.

According to the RA Foreign Ministry Press and Information Department,
during a private talk, then a working dinner the Ministers discussed
measures to be undertaken in the direction of development of bilateral
relations, regional and international issues. They emphasized the
necessity of promoting cooperation between Armenia and Norway in
various spheres, in particular, organization of high-level visits,
holding of regular consultations between the two countries’ Foreign
Ministries, formation of a legal-contractual sphere, activization of
exchanges in the cultural, educational and scientific spheres.

The RA and Norwegian Foreign Ministers in detail discussed the
possibility of activizing cooperation in the trade and economic sphere
and reached an agreement to make additional efforts in that direction.

E. Nalbandian presented Armenia’s efforts aimed at ensuring security
and stability in the South Caucasian region, foreign political course
of integrating to the European family and measures undertaken in that
direction, latest developments in the Nagorno Karabakh settlement
negotiations, efforts made in the direction of establishment of
relations between Armenia and Turkey.

Then the two countries’ Foreign Ministers signed an Agreement on
Readmission between Armenia and Norway.

The same day the RA Foreign Minister was received at the Norwegian
Institute of International Affairs where he gave a long speech on
Armenia’s foreign policy.

E. Nalbandian also visited Nansen Institute located at F. Nansen’s
house, got acquainted with the preparatory work of events dedicated
to F. Nansen’s 150th anniversary. He proposed the Institute organizing
joint events dedicated to Nansen’s jubilee. The Minister laid a wreath
to Nansen’s grave and made notes in the book of guests of honor.

E. Nalbandian presented possibilities of implementation of new economic
programs in Armenia at a meeting with Norwegian businessmen held the
same day.

The RA Foreign Minister returned to Yerevan on January 30.

Iran’s decision on uranium enrichment program launch runs counter to
UNO SC requirements
31.01.2010 17:35 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Iran’s decision on uranium enrichment program launch
runs counter to UNO Security Council requirements and might impede the
settlement of nuclear issue, Russian Foreign ministry spokesman Andrei
Nesterenko stated.

`Iran’s decision to launch own program on uranium enrichment runs
counter to both UNO Security Council and International Atomic Energy
Agency requirements. This step will only stir current concerns and
impede the settlement of Iran’s nuclear issue,’ ITAR TASS cited the
spokesman as saying.

Children’s Magazine in Armenian to be Launched

Asbarez
Jan 29th, 2010

GLENDALE – `Gakavig,’ a colorful new monthly magazine for children, is
being launched in Southern California in the first week of February.

Parents of young children in the Armenian-American community have long
complained of a shortage of child-friendly books and magazines in the
Armenian language. For children 7 and under, parents can find hundreds
of books with simple stories, basic vocabulary, and powerful images –
in English. Not so in Armenian.

Enter Juliette Davtian. Her clear vision: to give Armenian children a
colorful and fun way to see and hear stories in Armenian, to learn
reading and counting in Armenian, and to relate to the world around
them in the Armenian language.

`Children learn best through colorful images,’ Davtian said. `They
have different talents. As adults, we should recognize children’s
different styles of learning and interacting, and promote the best
possible development of their natural strengths and weaknesses.’

The magazine has colorful artwork and will feature stories, poems,
riddles, songs, cut-and-paste projects, children’s cooking projects, a
bit of science, and more. Using classical Armenian spelling, the
magazine is in both Eastern and Western Armenian.

A successful venture starts with a vision, but it requires much more.
Davtian brings it all to the table. She has an MBA and marketing
experience, as well as years of experience as a preschool teacher,
Armenian Saturday school teacher, and a resident counselor for
children and teenage girls, With a degree in psychology and child
development, she is exceptionally well prepared for the venture she
has started.

Now it’s a matter of hard work and enthusiastic community response.

`Starting a print publication in the Armenian-American community,
especially in a time of economic uncertainty, is not a safe path to
take, and several people have kindly reminded me of this fact,’
Davtian said.

`At the same time, I have been touched by the generous support of
several distinguished members of our community. They understand that
our community needs an excellent children’s magazine, and share my
confidence that parents and children will be excited to have `Gakavig’
in their homes every month.’

`Gakavig’ will be available through several Armenian schools and in
Southern California grocery stores. Subscriptions are available by
calling 818.548.2438 or writing [email protected]

Zaruhi Postanjyan No Longer Member of PACE Monitoring Committee

Tert.am
11:16 – 30.01.10

During a PACE bureau meeting yesterday, it was decided by secret
ballot vote who of the Armenian delegates would be included in the
monitoring committee, said Armen Rustamyan to Tert.am.

As a result of the vote, the following members were elected:
delegation member Davit Harutyunyan and Armenian Revolutionary
Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) member Armen Rustamyan, as a
representative from the opposition.

Until yesterday’s meeting, Heritage Party representative Zaruhi
Postanjyan was also member of the monitoring committee. However, after
yesterday’s vote, Postanjyan is no longer on the committee (as each
country can only delegate two members to sit on the committee).

EDWARD NALBANDIAN AND HILLARY CLINTON DISCUSS ARMENIAN-TURKISH NORMALIZATION AND KARABAKH CONFLICT

ArmInfo
2010-01-29 11:59:00

ArmInfo. Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian and US Secretary
of State HillaryClinton met in London on Thursday.

Armenian Foreign Ministry press-service reported that the two parties
welcomed friendly partnership between Armenia and the USA and frequent
contacts at the top level. They expressed readiness to take effective
steps to further enhance the mutually advantageous cooperation. E.

Nalbandian and H. Clinton touched upon the Armenian-Turkish relations.

US Secretary of State again confirmed that US supports the
Armenian-Turkish relations and calls the parties for sooner
ratification and implementation of the bilateral Protocols. Edward
Nalbandian, for his part, said that the Armenian Constitutional
Court recognized the Armenian-Turkish Protocols in conformity with
the Constitution of Armenia, which showed that Armenia is fulfilling
its commitments. The minister said that Armenia is waiting for Turkey
to display a similar approach.

The sides also discussed the latest developments in the negotiations
for settlement of the Nagorny Karabakh conflict. Edward Nalbandian
highlighted the USA’s role in the process as an OSCE MG co-
chair-country and informed his American counterpart of the results
of the last meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents in Sochi
on January 25.

E. Nalbandian and H. Clinton discussed a number of other issues of
bilateral importance.