Author: Antonian Lara

456 ECONOMIC CRIMES SOLVED IN ARMENIA LAST YEAR

ARKA
March 27, 2009

YEREVAN, March 27. /ARKA/. A total of 456 economic crimes were solved
in Armenia last year against 289 in 2007 – an annual increase of 58%.

Chief of the Head Department for Organized Crime Control, Colonel Unan
Poghosyan reported that last year the RA police registered 83 cases
of illegal business, 80 cases of counterfeiting of money, 140 cases of
tax avoidance, 69 cases of smuggling, as well as other economic crimes.

Pogosyan pointed out that 140 of the crimes were solved by various
police departments.

He said that 213 economic crimes were registered in Yerevan alone –
47% of the total number.

"Economic crimes are latent ones and, therefore, are difficult to
solve," he said.

Colonel Poghosyan welcomed the improvement in crime detection last
tear.

THERE ARE NO OBJECTIVE REASONS FOR THE OCCURRED DEVALUATION OF ARMENIAN DRAM, EX-SPEAKER OF ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT THINKS

ArmInfo
2009-03-26 18:15:00

ArmInfo. There are no objective reasons for the AMD exchange rate
downfall which occurred on March 3, ex-speaker of Armenian Parliament
Tigran Torosyan said at a press-conference, Thursday. According to him,
this event had a very negative effect on Armenia’s stability.

"What happened early this month caused both economic and political
damage to the country. The devaluation of the national currency
shook the public confidence in it. The mistake of our leadership is
that it should have held the whole process smoothly, but it failed,
unfortunately",- Torosyan said.

Torosyan also pointed out that the Government and the Central Bank
should have constantly informed the society of all of their steps
instead of having artificially maintained the AMD stability. "All of
us wish the Government to overcome all these difficulties, however,
unfortunately, the course of events still fails to inspire any
optimism",- Torosyan stressed.

ARMENIA CONCERNED AT RUSSIAN-TURKISH RELATIONSHIP

The Messenger
March 24 2009
Georgia

Ruben Megrabian from the Armenian Centre for Political and
International Research thinks that improvements in Russian-Turkish
relations might be a threat for Armenia. He points out that these
relations are based on their attitudes towards the West and that the
Armenian elite should consider this possibility. Megrabian thinks
that both Russia and Turkey have their own particular interests and
therefore might ignore the Armenian interest.

Megrabian thinks that Russia and Turkey will use Armenia to achieve
their individual goals. For Russia this is preventing Armenia’s
integration with the West. Turkey however seeks to build up its
relations with Armenia to make concrete steps in the Western direction
and resist Western pressure over this.

ARDSHININVESTBANK OF ARMENIA TO RE-LAUNCH ITS "YEGHEGNADZOR" BRANCH TODAY

ARKA
March 20, 2009

YEREVAN, March 20. /ARKA/. Ardshininvestbank of Armenia is to re-launch
its "Yeghegnadzor" branch. The repaired and improved building of the
branch will be opened on March 20, the bank’s press service reported.

The branch is equipped with modern equipment and is ready to provide
reliable banking services to its customers, says the report.

In all branches of Ardshininvestbank throughout the country equal
conditions are provided for all clients, says Acting Board Chairman
of Ardshininvestbank Sergey Virabyan.

The bank’s staff has the required qualifications to render reliable
and high-quality services to its clients, he said.

"Yeghegnadzor" branch has about 3,000 clients, including state agencies
and private organizations, as well as ordinary people.

Ardshininvestbank received its license for banking activities from the
Central Bank of Armenia on February 27, 2003. The main stockholders
of the bank are "Region" investment financial corporation (86.82%)
and the International Financial Corporation (10%). Arshininvestbank
is an affiliated member of MasterCard/Europay international payment
system and a stockholder of local transfer system Armenian Card closed
joint stock company.

In 2008, Moody’s international ratings agency conferred long-term Ba3
and short-term Not Prime ratings to Ardshininvestbank for deposits
in =0 Alocal currency. ("BFSR") "D-" financial stability rating was
also assigned to the bank.

As of the end of 2008, the bank had the greatest net profit among
Armenian banks and was the second in terms of credit investments and
total capital; in terms of total assets and total liabilities it is
the third.

Today, the bank provides services to 157,000 individuals and legal
entities.

It has 49 branches, including 6 branches in Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
and a representative office in Paris.

ARMENIAN DUDUK WEBSITE PRESENTATION TO BE HELD IN YEREVAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
19.03.2009 21:15 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On Mar. 31 Armenian Duduk Melody website presentation
will be held in RA State Museum of National Art. The website is
dedicated to UNESCO’s proclamation of Armenian duduk as a Masterpiece
of the Oral and Intangible Heritages of Humanity

Website creation was made possible by UNESCO and Japanese "Preservation
of Intangible Heritages of Humanity" Fund.

The presentation will be attended by representatives of UNESCO Bureaus
in Moscow and Paris.

Gevorg and Gurgen Dabaghyans, Anna Mailyan and Karine Hovyannesyan
will be performing at the presentation.

USN19458481

Turkey, U.S. play down tensions over Armenia issue
Thu Mar 19, 2009 7:02pm EDT

Turkey: Issue won’t ‘hijack’ Obama visit

U.S. wants to work closely with Turkey and Armenia (Adds White House
comment, paragraphs 8-9)

By Sue Pleming

WASHINGTON, March 19 (Reuters) – Seeking to avert tensions during
President Barack Obama’s visit to Turkey, both sides are playing down
potential fallout from a renewed attempt by some U.S. lawmakers to
declare the killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks genocide.

Ahmet Davutoglu, foreign policy adviser to Turkish Prime Minister
Tayyip Erdogan, told reporters on Thursday the issue, which caused
U.S.-Turkish relations to plummet in 2007, would not "hijack" Obama’s
visit to the NATO ally early next month.

"Nothing can shadow the success of this visit," Davutoglu told
reporters after meeting Obama’s national security adviser, Jim Jones,
at the White House.

During his 2008 campaign for the White House, Obama referred to the
killings of Armenians in World War One as genocide, which Turkey
strongly rejects. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton co-sponsored a
genocide resolution on Armenia when she was in the Senate.

The reintroduction on Tuesday by several lawmakers of a new resolution
in the House of Representatives could complicate Obama’s visit and
Davutoglu said the issue was discussed in his meeting with Jones.

Asked whether Obama’s views might have changed, Davutoglu was
noncommittal.

"I did not say yes or no," he said. "Of course, I cannot speak on
behalf of General Jones, but we went through all these issues in a
very friendly and cooperative manner."

White House National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer declined
to comment on what Jones and Davutoglu discussed regarding the
Armenian issue.

"Our focus is on how, moving forward, the U.S. can help Armenia and
Turkey work together to come to terms with the past," he said. "It is
important that countries have an open and honest dialogue about the
past. At the same time, we want to work closely with both Turkey and
Armenia on the key issues that confront the region."

Recognizing how sensitive the issue could become in U.S.-Turkish
relations, the State Department has avoided comment on the resolution
or what the Obama administration’s policy is on labeling what happened
as genocide.

"I don’t want to go any further on it until we have had a chance to
take a closer look at it and discuss it within the government, and
that’s where I’m going to leave it," State Department spokesman Robert
Wood told reporters on Wednesday.

NO CONGRESSIONAL VOTE ‘ANY TIME SOON’

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, when asked if it was a good time to bring
up the Armenian resolution, reiterated her view that genocide
occurred.

Whether Obama travels to the region or not "does not deny the fact
that there was an Armenian genocide, and there are those of us in
Congress who will continue to make that point," the California
lawmaker told Reuters.

Pelosi’s spokesman, Brendan Daly, said he did not know whether the
sponsors of the latest resolution had enough support for it to pass in
the House but "no one’s talking about a vote any time soon."

Similar resolutions have been introduced in Congress for years and
Pelosi has been a longtime supporter of having Congress declare the
killings a genocide.

But as speaker, she did not bring the legislation to the floor for a
vote in 2007 after pressure by the Bush administration, amid concerns
over the sensitivities of Turkey. (Additional reporting by Susan
Cornwell; Editing by John O’Callaghan and Peter Cooney)

© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved

0000779fd2ac.html

Azeris pave way for president-for-life

By Isabel Gorst in Moscow

Published: March 19 2009 15:39

The opposition in oil-rich Azerbaijan on Thursday vowed to overturn a
referendum that paves the way for Ilham Aliyev to become
president-for-life .

The Azerbaijani central election commission said voters in the
ex-Soviet state had approved constitutional amendments lifting a
two-term limit on the presidency after a referendum on Wednesday.

The opposition said the referendum was illegal and had been unfairly
conducted.

Mazakhir Panakhov, chairman of the central election commission, said
92 per cent of voters had approved the abolition of current limits
preventing presidents from holding more than two consecutive terms in
office.

Other proposed constitutional changes, including a ban on presidential
and parliamentary elections in war time and rules governing benefits
for retired presidents, also won overwhelming voter support.

Mr Aliyev, the son of Heydar Aliyev, the former president who died in
2003, won a second term in office at an election last October that was
boycotted by leading opposition parties.

Mr Aliyev’s rule has coincided with a spectacular economic boom in
Azerbaijan where foreign companies are tapping huge oil and gas
reserves in the Caspian Sea. Political analysts said Azerbaijan had
rushed through the referendum in anticipation of a surge in social
discontent in the coming months as the economy contracts. Gross
Domestic Product growth in Azerbaijan reached a record 25 per cent in
2007 but sank to 11 per cent last year as world oil prices fell and is
expected to drop more sharply this year.

Opposition leaders have accused western governments of turning a blind
eye to Azerbaijan’s political shortcomings in the interests of energy
security. The country hosts pipelines carrying Caspian exports across
the Caucasus to Europe that provide the west with a crucial source of
non-Russian, non Opec oil.

Changes to the constitution proposed by Yeni Azerbaijan, the ruling
party, were approved by the constitutional court in December in a
ruling the opposition claimed was illegal.

Azerbaijan’s leading opposition parties said turnout at the referendum
had fallen below the 25 per cent threshold required to validate the
referendum.

Ali Keramli, the head of the Peoples Front party, said, `The
referendum did not reflect the will of the people because the people
did not vote.’

Isa Gambar, the president of the Musavat party, said the observers
deployed at polling stations had noted `colossal violations of
electoral laws’. `As always the authorities falsified the results of
the vote,’ he said.

Mr Gambar said the opposition planned legal action to contest the
referendum result, but has not yet decided whether to stage street
protests.

However, opposition leaders added that political apathy would prevent
unrest in Azerbaijan. Many Azerbaijanis are afraid to protest
remembering the violent police crackdown on demonstrations that
erupted after a disputed presidential election in 2003 brought Mr
Aliyev to power.

AZERBAIJAN VOTES ON SCRAPPING PRESIDENTIAL LIMITS

Agence France Presse
March 18 2009

BAKU (AFP) — Azerbaijan were voting Wednesday on a proposal to scrap
the two-term presidential limit, which if approved would pave the way
for President Ilham Aliyev to extend his family’s grip on power here.

Opposition groups in the oil-rich former Soviet republic called for a
boycott of the referendum, arguing that the vote was aimed at allowing
Aliyev to be president for life.

But analysts have said there is little doubt the proposed
constitutional amendments would be approved.

At polling stations in the capital Baku many voters said they
supported the move and credited Aliyev with steering the country
through a period of record economic growth.

The city has been transformed by a major building boom in recent years.

"I voted so that Ilham Aliyev may continue to be our president because
he has brought us stability," said Khatima Jabrailova, a 72-year-old
pensioner.

"I receive my pension and he has made our city beautiful."

But some opposed the move, saying the two-term limit should stand.

"I voted against this, there is no need to change our constitution,"
said Vugar Shabalov, a 21-year-old student.

"In a time when the whole world is in economic crisis, we should not
be spending money on this referendum."

Aliyev, 47, won a second five-year term by a landslide last October,
consolidating nearly four decades of his family’s rule over the
country.

Aliyev’s father, Heydar, was a Soviet-era leader of Azerbaijan and
president for 10 years after the country won independence in 1991.

The younger Aliyev was elected to replace his father shortly before
the 80-year-old’s death in 2003.

Supporters of the changes say they are aimed at making Azerbaijan
more democratic by allowing voters to choose whoever they wish to
be president.

But government critics, who have long accused Aliyev — and his father
before him — of having ruthlessly held on to power, say the vote is
aimed at allowing the president to extend his rule indefinitely.

Many of Azerbaijan’s main opposition groups have called for voters
to stay home Wednesday.

They have accused the authorities of preparing to fix the vote, of
harassing opposition campaigners and using government control of the
media to dominate the debate.

Despite the opposition’s objections however, the referendum has drawn
little criticism from the United States or European countries.

Azerbaijan’s opposition accuse Western governments of shying away
from criticising Aliyev to secure access to Azerbaijan’s vast Caspian
Sea oil and gas reserves. The West also wants influence over energy
transit routes to Europe bypassing Russia, says the opposition.

The proposed amendments would also postpone presidential and
parliamentary elections in the event of war.

Despite a ceasefire, Azerbaijan remains locked in a simmering conflict
with neighbouring Armenia over the breakaway Azerbaijani region of
Nagorny Karabakh, which Aliyev has vowed to retake.

Dozens of other constitutional changes are included in the referendum,
such as restrictions on photographing, videotaping or recording people
without their permission — and a prohibition on showing "disrespect"
to "state symbols" and increased state oversight of local governments.

Polling stations across the mainly Muslim country of 8.7 million people
opened at 8:00 am (0400 GMT) and were to close at 7:00 pm (1500 GMT).

The Central Election Commission is due to begin releasing results
shortly after polls close.

HERITAGE PARTY: TER-PETROSYAN SHOULD NOT HEAD OPPOSITION MAYOR CANDIDATES LIST

PanARMENIAN.Net
18.03.2009 15:51 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "The Heritage, acknowledging the importance of
Mayoral elections applied to NCA with an offer for single Mayoral
candidate nomination. After 22 day’s silence we received the ANC
decision. I have to state that , unfortunately the decision hadn’t
been negotiated with the Heritage," the Heritage Press Secretary
Hovsep Khurshudyan stated.

According to Hovsep Khurshudyan, the Heritage suggested young candidate
Armen Martirosyan topped the list, whom experienced politicians,
Levon Ter-Petrosyan and Raffi Hovhannesyan had to lead to the victory.

The Party decided that Ter-Petrosyan was to come second in the list,
followed by Raffi Hovhannsesyan.

Hovsep Khurshudyan noted that some part of the electorate, though
pro-oppositional, is unwilling to vote for Levon Ter-Petrosyan. The
Heritage decision to nominate Armen Martirosyan as top candidate was
prompted by his being capable to draw pro-oppositional electorate
votes.

"We believe that what matters is not the votes accumulated or who’ll be
elected as Mayor, but that Mayoral elections have political connotation
and would serve as an important start for further changes in the
country. It’s the opposition victory that matters, and any decision of
Heritage Party will be serving to the cause of opposition’s victory."

Heritage final decision will be announced on Friday.

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA SUPPORT BARACK OBAMA’S DECISION TO VISIT TURKEY

PanARMENIAN.Net
18.03.2009 21:45 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "As President Barack Obama plans his trip to Turkey
next month, we would like to express our support for this decision,"
said Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) Executive Director Bryan
Ardouny. "An irreversible trend has commenced in Turkey and President
Obama’s visit presents a unique opportunity for the President to
reinforce this message, as well as his own statements reaffirming
the historical truth of the Armenian Genocide."

The Assembly wholeheartedly agrees with President Obama, Vice President
Biden and Secretary of State Clinton that the Armenian Genocide is an
historical fact that must be affirmed. As then Senator Obama stated
"America deserves a leader who speaks truthfully about the Armenian
Genocide and responds forcefully to all genocides."

The Assembly looks forward to change in Washington, including the
repudiation and reversal of the Bush Administration’s doctrine
that disallowed State Department officials to publicly acknowledge
the Armenian Genocide, and what our own U.S. Ambassador to the
Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgenthau, described as a campaign of race
extermination.

The Assembly is encouraged by the recent signs of rapprochement between
Turkey and Armenia, and commends Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan
for his bold actions. Normalization of relations and Turkey’s lifting
of its 15-year long blockade of Armenia should not be held hostage
to U.S. reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide.