Author: Boshkezenian Garik

KFW HAS COMMITTED EURO 400 MILLION TO ARMENIA SINCE 1995

ARKA
Feb 16, 2010

YEREVAN, February 16, /ARKA/. In an interview with ARKA news agency
Karapet Gevorkyan, the representative of German KfW Development Bank
in Armenia, Candidate of Economy, said German Financial Cooperation
with Armenia dates back to 1995.

Since then and until 2010, the German Government has committed around
400 million euros to Armenia. Of this amount 250 million were made
avaialble and 150 million of it were invested in differnet projects.

As for 110 million aid for 2009-2010 no tranche of it was disbursed
yet. Accoridng to Mr. Gevorkyan, it will be provided only after the
ratification of the integrovenrmntal accord and signing of relating
agreemnts. This aid is expected to begin arriving in the seocnd quarter
of the year. Of 400 million euros committed by German govenrment
to Armenia, 325 million are intergovenrmnatl financial cooperation,
75 million were extended directly to private companies.

Particulalry, 50 million euros were porvided to ArmRosGazprom gas
operator last June for installemnt of gas detectors, expansion and
rasing the safety of Abovian undergorund gas storage facility, as
well as for modernization of gas transporting and distribution system.

Some 25 million euros were provied to ACBA Credit-Agricole Bank for
on-lending to small and medium businesses. At the same time out of
325 million euros about 50 million are grants intended for technical
and financial consultations, development of design documentation,
personnel training, introduction of new technologies and software. The
second direction of the bank’s operation embraces support to ecology
and health projects.

KfW representation was opened here in 1998. The bank supports
implementation of projects in energy, drinking water and sewage
sectors, as well as finance and banking and private sectors.

ISSUE OF NAKHIJEVAN WAS VOICED FOR FIRST TIME IN SERZH SARGSYAN’S SPEECH IN GREAT BRITAIN, POLITICAL SCIENTIST SAYS

Noyan Tapan
Feb 15, 2010

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 15, NOYAN TAPAN. "The issue of Nakhijevan was
raised for the first time in the speech that Serzh Sargsyan recently
made in Great Britain," political scientist Alexander Manasian said
at the February 15 press conference, noting that at the beginning
of his speech, S. Sargsyan spoke about the Karabakh conflict, then
he discussed Armenian-Turkish relations. According to A. Manasian,
this structure of the speech had its logic because it did not allow
linking the Armenian-Turkish relations and the Karabakh problem
with each other. Besides, in the political scientist’s words, by
using a clear and open text, the Armenian president declared that
the normalization between Armenia and Turkey has no relation to the
recognition of the Armenian Genocide by Turkey.

"The issue of Nakhijevan was voiced for the first time in a speech,
which was something new in Armenian politics," A. Manasian said, adding
the Nakhijevan issue was only touched upon, but this was enough for
the first time. In his speech, S. Sargsyan underlined once again that
Nagorno Karabakh has never been part of the independent Azerbaijan,
and after the collapse of the USSR, Karabakh ceased being part of
the USSR and not Azerbaijan.

Yerevan Report, Armenia
Feb 10 2010

Armenian Schools to Participate in Kangaroo International Mathematical
Competition

Feb 10th, 2010 |

YEREVAN (Novosti-Armenia), February 10’The educational foundation
`Ayb’ is beginning the registration of Armenian schools for
participation in the international mathematical competition
Mathematical Kangaroo, the press service of the foundation informed.

More than 1200 schools have already received a package that includes
invitations to the competition, the application forms, the detailed
rules of the competition and other necessary information.

The registration rules and the principles of the competition have not
undergone essential changes. A pleasant innovation of this year was
the possibility to translate the tasks of the competition into
Russian. On the day of the competition the participants will decide in
what language they are going to read the tasks.

This year the competition in Armenia will be held on March 18, by the
educational foundation `Ayb’ under the patronage of the Armenian
Ministry of Education and Science. The deadline of the registration of
pupils and schools is February 24.

The general partner of Kangaroo in Armenia is VTB Bank (Armenia).

Five million pupils from more than 50 countries took part in
`Kangaroo’ last year. Russia, France, Germany, Canada, the US,
Romania, Georgia, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan and Spain were among those
countries.

Mathematical Kangaroo was first organized in Paris in 1991, and since
1994 it has been an international competition.

More information about Armenia’s participation in Kangaroo can be
found on its web site,

Translated from Russian by Yerevanreport.com
0/02/10/armenia-kangaroo-math-competition/

ARMENIAN PIANIST COMES THIRD IN BELGIUM

html
16:06:15 – 12/02/2010

Ani Arushanyan participated in an international piano competition
in Waterloo, Belgium and won the third prize and a special honorary
prize for the best performance of Belgian works.

TOP OFFICIAL SET TO VISIT US AMID ARMENIAN ROW

Hurriyet Daily News
Feb 11 2010
Turkey

A senior Turkish official will hold talks in Washington to mainly
discuss strains in the Turkish-Armenian reconciliation process. The
visit of Undersecretary of the foreign ministry Feridun Sinirlioglu’s
visit, set to start on Feb. 13, will take place under the shadow of
the pending resolution on Armenian genocide claims in a committee of
the U.S. House of Representatives.

Howard Berman, the Democratic chairman of the House Foreign Affairs
Committee, said last week he intended to call a committee vote March
4, on the non-binding resolution urging President Barack Obama to
describe the 1915 killings during the late days of Ottoman Empire as
genocide. Sinirliogu is expected to tell the U.S. official that the
vote will further damage the Turkey-Armenia reconciliation process
that has already hit the rocks due to the recent decision of the
Armenia’s constitutional court.

The court’s ruling that the interpretation and application of the
protocols signed between the two countries to normalize relations
should be in compliance with the Armenian constitution is a cause of
concern for Turkey since Turkish government argues that the court has
impaired the spirit of the agreements. The Turkish government insists
that the decision prevents the discussion of Armenian genocide claims
by a committee of historians that will be established according to
the articles of the protocols.

Sinirlioglu is expected to seek assurances from the U.S.

administration that the court’s ruling will not legally prevent the
discussion of Armenian claims of genocide.

Turkey believes the pending resolution is aimed at putting pressure
on the government to pass the protocols through Parliament. In
an interview over the weekend, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu
denounced the committee for scheduling a vote on an Armenian "genocide"
resolution at this time, saying that its passage would seriously harm
Turkey’s relations with both the United States and Armenia.

INVADED SIL CONCERN

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17:33:15 – 12/02/2010

Today, the Police officers of the Erebuni Police department invaded
into the SIL Concern office, forced out of the building and took a
number of employees to the Police department.

AZERBAIJAN’S RULING PARTY PRESENTS BOOK ON RESETTLEMENT OF ARMENIANS IN AZERBAIJANI LANDS

Today
Feb 11 2010
Azerbaijan

The book titled "Irevan Khanate. Russian occupation and resettlement
of Armenians in Azerbaijani lands" was presented by the New Azerbaijan
Party (YAP) on Feb. 10.

Opening the event, YAP Deputy Chairman, Executive Secretary Ali Ahmadov
said the book narrates on one of Azerbaijani states – Irevan khanate –
which played an important role in the history of the South Caucasus.

Director of the History Institute, one of book’s authors, Yagub
Mahmudov told of the historical importance of the book.

"We prove in the book that Armenians are resetllers in the South
Caucasus. They were resettled here by the Czarist Russia in 1828,"
Mahmudov emphasized.

The book featured pictures and other facts proving the resettlement
of Armenians from Iran and Turkey.

"The book prepared by the Institute of History on the instructions of
the Azerbaijani President will be translated into English and Russian
and spread worldwide," Ali Ahmadov stated.

YEREVAN TO HOST "ART-EXPO" SECOND EXHIBITION

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
11.02.2010 19:43 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The second "ART-EXPO" exhibition will be held in
the House of Artists of Armenia from 12 to 13 February. "We intent
to present our work within a year. Besides, we want to create a
platform for cooperation between different organizations and the
Ministry of Culture of Armenia, thereby enabling the public to visit
the exhibition, " Hasmik Poghosyan, RA Minister of Culture told a
press conference in Yerevan.

"If last year the number of participating organizations reached 20,
in 2010 more than 50 of them are involved. I hope in a few years we
will be able to organize "ART-EXPO" outside the country," the Minister
of Culture of Armenia said.

Speaking of omissions, Hasmik Poghosyan particularly said: " The
museums of Armenia represent only 3 per cent of the cultural heritage,
available in the country ". Out of 50 participating organizations 3
will be recognized as the best and awarded.

27 films about culture by various TV networks will be screened at
the exhibition.

BORIS AROUSHANYAN WAS APPOINTED THE HEAD OF THE CIVIL SERVICE BOARD

NOYAN TAPAN
FEBRUARY 11, 2010
STEPANAKERT

STEPANAKERT, FEBRUARY 11, NOYAN TAPAN-ARMENIANS TODAY. On 10 February
President of the Artsakh Republic Bako Sahakyan signed a decree
appointing Boris Aroushanyan the head of the Civil Service board
(with 6 year term of office). According to the report of central
information department of the office of the NKR president to NOYAN
TAPAN, the decree will come into power on 15 February, 2010.

7-10% GROWTH OF TOURISM TO BE ENSURED IN ARMENIA THIS YEAR

NOYAN TAPAN
FEBRUARY 11, 2010
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 11, NOYAN TAPAN. At the February 11 sitting, the
Armenian government approved the 2010 program on development of tourism
in Armenia, taking as a basis the 2008-2012 Tourism Concept and its
program of measures. Deputy Minister of Economy Mushegh Tumasian said
that the program aims to ensure 7-10% grouth of tourism in Armenia
or 650 thousand visits to our country this year.

According to him, although the number of tourists declined worldwide
in 2009, there was a 3% growth of tourists to Armenia thanks to the
state policy and the efficient cooperation between the state and the
private sector. He said the program envisages such measures as the
formation of Armenia’s image as an attractive tourist destination, the
implementation of an efficient marketing policy on tourism, the proper
presentation of the tourism product in international tourism market,
and Armenia’s active integration into international tourism market.