Author: Babajanian Karo

FORTUNE OIL SHARES RISE AFTER INCREASED INVESTMENT IN ARMENIAN IRON ORE MINES

PanARMENIAN.Net
June 15, 2011 – 14:00 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Fortune Oil saw its shares rise after it announced
it had increased its investment in Armenian iron ore mines,
StockMarketWire reported.

In January, Fortune took a 35% equity interest in Bounty Resource
Armenia, a company which controls three iron ore mines in Armenia, for
$24m with an option to increase this holding to 50% for an additional
investment of $16m.

Fortune says it has successfully amended the option agreement to
allow it to increase its equity interest from 35% to 65% for the same
original consideration of $16m.

Prior to exercising the option, Fortune Oil’s effective equity interest
in the three Armenian mines is 33% which after option exercise
increases to 51%. The option exercise consideration of $16 million
will be financed from the company’s existing cash reserves.

ARMENIAN EXPERT FORECASTS KURDISH ISSUE EXACERBATION IN TURKEY

PanARMENIAN.Net
June 15, 2011 – 16:26 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Director of the Oriental Studies Institute at the
Armenian National Academy of Sciences, professor Ruben Safrastyan
forecasts exacerbation of Kurdish issue in Turkey.

As the expert told a news conference in Yerevan, the ruling Justice
and Development Party (AKP), which gained over 50% of votes at recent
parliamentary elections is unable to solve the gradually exacerbating
problem. “This is the reason the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party,
which failed to garner enough votes to make it to parliament, however
managing to secure seats for its supporters, demands a dialogue with
the ruling party,” the expert said.

“Kurds are aware that Erdogan won’t be able to change the country’s
constitution all by himself,”

ARMENIA WILL NOT REFUSE THE CONSTRUCTION OF NEW NUCLEAR POWER PLANT (NPP)

Noyan Tapan

15.06.2011

(Noyan Tapan – 15.06.2011) The tragic events at NPP “Fukushima-1”
in Japan cannot lead to a refusal of Armenia from the project of
building new nuclear power in Armenian NPP, declared Armen Movsisyan,
the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources.

“So far, Armenia has no alternative of a new nuclear power station”
~V said the minister. He noted that it is possible to build power
plants both on gas and coal, but it will lead to significant rise
of the cost of electricity production. “We do not have electricity
shortage today, and our priority is the production of maximally cheap
electricity.Energy supplies at the lowest prices are considered to
be our energy security “- said Movsisyan.

According to him, the events in Japan are unlikely to make any
substantial changes in the project of construction of new nuclear
power in Armenia.Construction, as before, is scheduled to begin in
the second half of 2012 – 2013. The Minister gave hope that by 2017
the new nuclear power unit will be built. He added that the cost
of the project also will not change and will keep within the limits
originally pledged $ 4-5 billion, as originally the highest seismic
requirements were laid. “I do not think that the events in Japan
will lead to a serious rise in the costs of the project in Armenia,
because originally we put it on the seismic resistance of 9 points,
~S-said the minister.

The construction of new nuclear power capacity of more than 1000 MW
is expected to begin next year and is designed for 4-5 years. Joint
Russian-Armenian venture ~SMetsamorenergoatom ” will finance 40% of
the cost of the work: both sides will give 20%. As for the remaining
funds, the investors should make it from outside, primarily, of course,
from abroad.

EXPERT: TURKEY’S POLICY IN THE SOUTH CAUCASUS TO BE “FROZEN” TEMPORARILY

arminfo
Wednesday, June 15, 15:50

The newly elected authorities of Turkey will temporarily “freeze” the
policy in the South Caucasus region, as activation of Ankara’s role in
the Middle East is priority, Director of Oriental Studies Institute
under Armenian National Academy of Sciences, Ruben Safrastyan said
at today’s press-conference.

“The first sign of Turkey’s activation in the Middle East was its
mediation in the disturbances in Syria and contradictory statements
by the authorities about opening of the border for refugees and at
the same time mobilizing of the armed forces near the Syrian border”,
– Safrastyan said.

He thinks that such a position may lead to isolation of Turkey because
of its growing independent and unpredictable policy.

When commenting on the parliamentary election in Turkey, he said that
the victory of the Justice and Development Party headed by Erdogan
was obvious, as during the electoral campaign it managed to reach
great success as against other political forces.

EXPERT: TURKS INCREASINGLY SUPPORT RAPPROCHEMENT WITH ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
June 14, 2011 – 17:49 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Increasing support for rapprochement with Armenia
has been observed with the Turkish public, Richard Giragosian,
director of the Regional Studies Center (RSC) stated.

As Mr. Giragosian told a news conference in Yerevan, TESEV Turkish
Economic and Social Studies Foundation poll results show 50% support
for Armenia-Turkey reconciliation, while 40% of those polled favor
opening of Armenian-Turkish border. 58% of Kurds polled also supported
the idea.

“Ppresently, the rapprochement finds more support in Turkish population
than it does in the country’s parliament,” RSC director said.

TESEV poll results name Iran as the most friendly state to Turkey,
while U.S. and Israel were listed among Turkey’s enemies. “Armenia was
not included in enemy list, which, in itself, is a positive factor,”
Giragosian concluded.

YAKOV YAKULOV TO WRAP UP VIOLA AND CELLO FESTIVAL

Aysor.am
Tuesday,June 14

Arno Babajanyan Concert Hall will host Wednesday a concert within
the framework of the second Henrik and Geronty Talalyan Viola and
Cello Festival.

The festival includes 15 concerts, with around 30 musicians
participating.

The closing concert is due on June 26. During the concert, after a long
interval, Yerevan audience will have the pleasure to enjoy performance
by outstanding composer, conductor and pianist of Armenian descent,
Yakov Yakulov (U.S.), the Gallery of Arts Cultural Fund said.

Festival’s Artistic Director is renowned cellist, conductor, Merited
Artist of Armenia Aram Talalyan.

ARMENIAN LECTURERS TO TRAIN IN THE USA

ARMENPRESS
June 14, 2011
YEREVAN

The International American Councils Organization conducts “Training
Program of Young Lecturers” contest. It is sponsored by the US
Government on behalf of Educational and Cultural Affairs Department
of the US Department of State.

Head of the office of the organization Nane Abrahamyan told Armenpress
that the goal of the program is to provide opportunity to the lecturers
of a number of universities of Armenia, CIS and Eastern Europe to
pass training in humanitarian and public sciences.

The participants of the program will closely cooperate with the
American partners over working out training programs, study new
teaching methods, etc. While staying in the USA, the participants
will attend the conferences, will give lectures. N. Abrahamyan said
during the program about 51 lecturers have already been trained.

The deadline for presentation of applications is June 20, 2011. The
studies will launch in January 2012 and will last for 5 months.

SAVE THE THREE PRESIDENTS
Naira Hayrumyan

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 13:46:34 – 14/06/2011

Regnum news agency, citing Times.am, posted a YouTube link directing
to a recording of telephone talks of the opposition leaders on
March 1, 2008. Judging by the records, the opposition at least knew
about the massacres in Yerevan. Emotionally, it even looks like the
opposition, in particular, the head of election headquarters of Levon
Ter-Petrosyan, the ex-foreign minister Alexander Arzumanyan (he is
mentioned more frequently than others) approved the crackdown and
tried to keep people in the square by force, although they knew about
the impending military action aimed to disperse the peaceful rally.

Interestingly, this information appeared immediately after the
visit of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of
Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Thomas Melia to Armenia who met
with Prosecutor General, the Head of the Special Investigative Service
and the Investigative Group on March 1.

Thomas Melia was assured that the investigation proceeds properly,
and already almost the complete picture of the events is in place.

Certainly, it is not clear why the investigation is not sending the
case to court if the picture is complete.

The March 1 case is a bugbear for the government. The tactics used
so far is apparently not working anymore. They cannot or do not want
to bring charges against any of the three presidents or their close
persons because otherwise they will have to reveal everyone’s sins.

Therefore it is better to save all the three presidents and pretend
as if nothing had been planned but at some point there was chaos
which involved neither the government, nor the opposition, and people
were just victims of the chaos. Yes, here the opposition is to blame
because it provoked people and the government is to blame because it
never fully controlled the situation but the leaders are not directly
responsible.

Robert Kocharyan’s interview is evidence to the decision that this
story will be sent to court. “I can definitely say that no one gave
any order to shoot at people with military weapons. It is obvious
that all the killed people, excluding the Captain of Internal Forces,
were shot dead at a spot far from the place of the rally, where cars
were burnt and shops broken into. There, no one could really control
the situation, neither the police, nor the leaders of the opposition,”
said Robert Kocharyan.

Will the three presidents be satisfied with this story? It is most
likely they will. In case Levon Ter-Petrosyan disagrees with this,
the telephone talks in which he will “approve” the fact of death of
people will appear in YouTube. Serzh Sargsyan and Robert Kocharyan
will be more than satisfied.

As to the society, it has lost faith in the investigation and courts.

The society has already identified the share of guilt of everyone. We
only need to wait for the visit of the next U.S. lower-ranking
government official to Armenia.

PEPSI COLA COMPANY OUVRE SON USINE EN ARMENIE
Stephane

armenews.com
mardi 14 juin 2011

La societe Pepsi Cola Armenie a ete officiellement inaugure aujourd’hui
dans la commune de Kanaker Zeytun d’Erevan. La ceremonie solennelle
d’ouverture a ete suivie par le President Serge Sarkissian.

Le President Sarkissian a visite le bâtiment et s’est familiarise
avec les capacites de l’usine et ses programmes de developpement. La
societe a l’intention de commencer la production de jus de fruits
naturels a l’avenir. La production sera exportee vers les pays voisins
et le Moyen-Orient.

Selon le ministre de l’Economie Tigran Davtyan, l’usine va jouer un
rôle unique dans le developpement de l’economie d’Armenie. “Nous
n’ouvrons pas seulement une usine correspondant aux normes
internationales. Cela marque l’entree d’une autre marque de renommee
internationale en Armenie ” a declare le ministre.

“L’ouverture de cette entreprise et d’autres dans la recente periode
est la preuve que notre economie n’est pas seulement sortir de la
crise economique, mais apporte egalement une nouvelle etape vers le
developpement” a declare le ministre de l’Economie.

TWO ANTI-ARMENIAN HISTORIANS ENTER TURKISH PARLIAMENT

news.am
June 13 2011
Armenia

Two historians struggling against recognition of the Armenian Genocide
gained seats in the Turkish parliament.

One of them is a candidate from ruling Justice and Development Party
Seyit Sertcelik, an author of a book about Genocide denial. He is
the only Turkish historian who masters Armenian.

Another historian who entered the parliament and is famous for his
anti-Armenian stance, Yusuf Halacoglu was nominated by Nationalist
Movement Party.

Halacoglu, former head of Turkish Historical Society, recently claimed
he was fired at the request of Armenia and U.S.

No Armenian candidate was nominated by Turkish parties.

Parliamentary ejections were held in Turkey on Sunday. Ruling Justice
and Development Party polled 49.9% of votes, Republican-People’s
Party – 25.9%, while Nationalist Movement – 13%.

Thirty-five MPs from Kurdish Peace and Democracy entered the parliament
as well.