Author: Antonian Lara

CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE OF ARMENIA AND FRANCE TO DEEPEN BILATERAL RELATIONS

PanARMENIAN.Net
05.10.2009 21:23 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Delegation for technical assistance will arrive
in Armenia from Marseilles to broaden and deepen the Armenian-French
cooperation in various fields, Michel Vauzelle, the chairman of the
Regional Council Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azyur, member of the National
Assembly of France, told a press conference in Yerevan today.

French consultants will work to develop joint programs in areas of
potential cooperation, particularly health, industrial production,
chemical industry, education, information technology, Mr. Vauzelle
said.

He also informed, that relations between Armenian and French chambers
of commerce have also been discussed at the official level.

ARA PAPIAN SEEKS DEBATE WITH MINISTER NALBANDIAN

/ara-papian
11:52 am | October 05, 2009

Politics

Ara Papian, director of the Modus Vivendi Social and Scientific
Research Center, has sent a letter to Armenian Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandian with his arguments on the Armenian-Turkish Protocols.

Mr. Papian advises the Armenian FM to invite him to live debate if
the latter disagrees with his arguments. "I will take Mr. Nalbandian’s
silence as consent to my arguments," says Mr. Papian.

On October 1, at the end of parlimentray hearings on the bilateral
Protocols, the Armenian FM announced: "Wilson’s decision has no legal
force since the U.S. Senate didn’t ratify the document. "

Therefore, Mr. Papian has decided to answer Minister Nalbandian with
an open letter.

Ara Papian says the Minister has confused two issues with chronological
linkage -the issues of Armenia’s mandate and borders; hence people
have arrived at a wrong conclusion.

With regard to Wilson’s decision, Mr. Papian says "any arbitral award
has a legal force and is a binding document if it is made without
procedural violations it. Moreover, arbitral awards are final and
without appeal. The arbitral award is final and binding decision by
an arbitrator):

The final and biding essence of arbitral awards is codified in the
international right, particularly in the Hague Convention for the
Pacific Settlement of International Disputes.

Thus, arbitral awards

1)are final and binding 2)need no ratification or approval

US President Vudro Wilson has determined the border between Armenia
and Turkey with his arbitral award which is still in effect and is
not subject to changes.

ARMENIA ORCHESTRA PLANS DECEMBER SHOW IN TEHRAN

PRESS TV
;s ectionid=351020105
03 Oct 2009 14:56:06 GMT

The Youth Orchestra of Armenia plans a December performance in
Tehran. Photo

The Youth Orchestra of Armenia, conducted by Sergey Smbatyan,
has scheduled a show in the Iranian capital, Tehran, to perform
classical pieces.

Accompanied by internationally-acclaimed Iranian pianist Mahyar Moradi,
the orchestra will present pieces by the world’s most famous composers
such as Tchaikovsky and Dvorak.

The concert, which is organized by the Armenian embassy in Tehran
and Iran’s culture ministry, will be held in December 2009, Fars News
Agency reported.

The Youth Orchestra of Armenia had previously visited Iran in July
2009, when it held concerts at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall.

The orchestra comprises of over 70 musicians, who are between the ages
of 16 and 24 and are also students of the Yerevan State Conservatory.

Aysor.am
02.10.2009, 18:35

Armenian wrestlers to participate in II International Tournament

More that hundred athletes, including Armenian wrestlers, participate
in II International Tournament launched in Yakutsk, Russia.

In two-day-long Tournament participations from Armenia, U.S., Turkey,
Belarus, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia and Tajikistan
will fight for champion title in different weight categories.

63 thousand dollars prize money will be shared between winners giving
out $3, 000 to gold medal winners, $2,000 to those who take home a
silver and $1,000 for a bronze.

THORBJORN JAGLAND ELECTED COUNCIL OF EUROPE HEAD

Yerkir
30.09.2009 13:14
Yerevan

Yerevan (Yerkir) – The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of
Europe elected former Norwegian premier Thorbjorn Jagland new
general secretary of the Council of Europe on Tuesday. Jagland,
also parliamentary speaker and chair of Norway’s Nobel Committee,
will replace Britain’s Terry Davis as head of the 47-nation human
rights watchdog. Davis’s five-year term ends later this year.

Jagland was supported by 165 of the 257 lawmakers taking part in
the vote.

His rival, former Polish Prime Minister Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz,
received 80 votes.

Speaking at the Assembly after the vote, Jagland said the organization
needed reform to meet new realities.

ARMENIAN ARMECONOMBANK TO EXTEND TRADE CREDITS AT LOWERED RATES

ARKA
Sep 30, 2009

YEREVAN, September 30. /ARKA/. Armeconombank is starting a reduced
interest rate credit program for stabilization of the economy as from
October 1, chairman of the bank’s directorial board David Sukiasyan
reported.

"We want to make a contribution to economic intensification and offer
lower interest rates to our clients," Sukiasyan told journalists
Tuesday.

Under the trade lending program loans are to be extended to trade
and import companies at from 10 to 12% p.a., depending on whether
the applicant is an Armeconombank client or not.

The program will be implemented with assistance of international
organizations and the EBRD in particular.

All credit lines opened in the bank under the trade promotion program
will be used for this purpose, Sukiasyan said.

"Armeconombank" Open Joint Stock Company was registered on August
26 1991. Over 75% of the bank’s shares belong to the principal
shareholders – EBRD (25% + 1 share) and the founders of "SIL" concern
Sukiasyan family (53.4%). The bank has 34 branches in Armenia and
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

According to the bank’s press service, total capital of "Armeconombank"
had exceeded 8.5 billion drams by September 28; total assets were
about 52 billion drams, credit investments – over 29 billion dr ams
and individual deposits – over 5.8 billion drams. ($1=385.71Drams).

MP FROM RPA: OPENING OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH BORDER TO INCREASE TRANSIT OPPORTUNITIES OF ARMENIA DURING TRANSPORTATION FROM EU COUNTRIES TO SOUTH CAUCASUS

ArmInfo
2009-09-30 16:56:00

ArmInfo. Opening of the Armenian-Turkish border will increase
the transit opportunities of Armenia during transportation from
EU countries to the South Caucasus, Chairman of the Parliamentary
Commission on Financial-Credit and Budgetary Issues (RPA faction)
Gagik Minasyan told journalists today.

G. Minasyan said. Turkey, not being EU member, builds the market by
EU economic standards, he said. , G. Minasyan said. He added that in
case the border is opened, Armenia may also become a transit country
during transportation from EU countries to the South Caucasus, in
particular, to Georgia.

To recall, according to the management of South Caucasus Railway
(subsidiary of RRW), in case of opening of the Armenian-Turkish
border, the border logistic center will be able to serve about 6 –
8 mln tons of cargo a year.

Countries with small economies should keep their main macroeconomic
indicators on a high level – WB

YEREVAN, September 26. /ARKA/. Countries with small economies should
keep their main macroeconomic indicators on a high level, as during
crisis starting conditions are important., said Asad Alam, WB Regional
Director for South Caucasus in the report `Impact of global crisis on
Armenia: short and long-term perspectives’.

The report says that it is necessary to develop a system of macro-risk
regulation in Armenia as international fluctuations are natural in the
integrated world. Alam said that it is very important to be an
initiator in the development of anti-cyclic policy which will assist in
the creation of workplaces in a short period of time and increase
competitiveness in mid-term perspectives.

He also said that rehabilitation after crisis will be slow and long for
which it is necessary to make plans for mid-term period. `During crisis
external specifications and mid-term consolidation of the budget is
inevitable, that is why we should find `golden mean’ between funding
and specification’, says the report.

It is also necessary to develop efficient program on struggling against
poverty, as even under the conditions of proper management of state
finances struggle against poverty will have some regress. According to
Alam, small countries with open economies should increase
competitiveness and dive
rsify the economy as there will be shortage of
external resources, especially in the post-crisis period. G.K. `0′

Yerevan State University plans to turn into `a global research
university’ in 25 years

YEREVAN, September 26, /Ð?RÐ?Ð?/. Yerevan State University rector Aram
Simonyan unveiled today am ambitious plan of turning Armenia’s
state-run university into `a global research university’ in 25 years.

`We want to become a university of global importance,’ the rector told
journalists Friday. According to him, Russia has two such
universities-the Moscow State University and the Saint Petersburg State
University. Aram Simonyan admitted that the quality of education at
Yerevan State University is not up to standards.

`We need to constantly perfect the quality of education and a lot is
being done to this end¦ I can say that no other Armenian university is
doing as much as we do,’ he said.

`Education is an expensive pleasure and we need enough resources to
solve many organizational issues,’ he said.

Yerevan State University was established in 1919. It has 20 departments
and 13,000 students. M.M.-0-

Kyiv Post

Khandohyi calls for effective cooperation within GUAM and BSECO
Yesterday, 15:02 | Ukrainian News

Sep 27 Sun

Acting Foreign Affairs Minister Volodymyr Khandohyi has called for a
more effective sectorial cooperation within the Organization for
Democracy and Economic Development-GUAM (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan,
and Moldova) and the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization
(BSECO).

The press service of the Foreign Affairs Ministry announced this in a
statement.

Khandohyi participated in a meeting of the Council of Foreign
Ministers of GUAM in New York (United States) on September 25 while
attending the 64th session of the General Assembly of the United
Nations Organization.

The foreign affairs ministers of the GUAM member-countries discussed
ways of strengthening political cooperation in preserving peace,
security, and stability in their region.

They stressed during the meeting that it was necessary to step up
GUAM’s cooperation with partner-countries and international
organizations.

The foreign affairs ministers agreed the organizational aspects of
GUAM’s operations.

They also expressed the view that it is appropriate to continue the
cooperation between GUAM and the United States.

As Ukrainian News earlier reported, President Viktor Yuschenko has
said that cooperation within GUAM has good prospects.

GUAM was founded on May 23, 2006, at a summit in Kyiv, during which
the leaders of GUAM member-states signed the organization’s charter.

Khandohyi participated in an informal meeting of the foreign affairs
ministers of BSECO member-countries in New York (United States) on
September 25 while attending the 64th session of the General Assembly
of the United Nations Organization.

The foreign affairs ministers discussed prospects for and ways of
further developing the organization and its institutions and its role
in the modern system of international economic relations during the
current financial crisis.

Khandohyi stressed that it was necessary to take quick and clear steps
to respond to m that it was necessary for the BSECO region to develop
cooperation with the European Union.

As Ukrainian News earlier reported, the member-countries of BSECO are
Albania, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Armenia, Greece, Georgia, Moldova,
Romania, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine.