Author: Boshkezenian Garik

CROATIA WELCOMES MOVE BY ARMENIA, TURKEY

Today’s Zaman
Sept 9 2009
Turkey

Croatian President Stjepan Mesic has welcomed an announcement made
on Aug. 31 by Armenia and Turkey that they are launching final talks
aimed at establishing diplomatic ties.

The two countries, which currently have no diplomatic relations and a
history of animosity stemming from the killing of Anatolian Armenians
by Ottoman Turks during World War I, announced last week that they
plan to sign two protocols within six weeks under a plan to end a
century of hostility.

"Like war makes peace, each conflict should end with a treaty," Mesic
was quoted as saying by Armenian media on Monday on the occasion of
an official visit to his country by Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan.

"We are pleased with the start of negotiations and ready to declare
any decision acceptable for the friendly Armenian and Turkish peoples,"
Mesic also said.

Several international organizations including the European Union as
well as global leaders have so far delivered congratulatory messages
over the joint statement by Armenia and Turkey.

Under the agreement, both sides would hold domestic meetings before
signing two protocols on the establishment of diplomatic ties and
the development of bilateral relations. The protocols would have to
be ratified by the parliaments of the two countries.

LABOR FAIR TO BE HELD IN SHIRAK SEPTEMBER 11

ARMENPRESS
SEPTEMBER 8, 2009
YEREVAN

Labor fair will be conducted in Gyumri September 11 by the "State
Employment Service" agency of the Armenian Labor and Social Affairs
Ministry.

Head of the job consulting and information department Tsoghik Bezhanyan
said that 35 employers of different spheres will participate in the
event. This year the agency has adopted flexible policy and it must
be purposeful. Initially the suggestions of the employees have been
studied, the province where there is need for work and vacancies
has been selected. The selection of Shirak province is agreed with
the investments of the Armenian government made there and extended
construction works. By the end of the year six labor fairs will be
organized. Bezhanyan said the previous ones gave good results and
active participation has been noted and many people found jobs.

IT LEADERS TO MEET IN AGHVERAN SEPT. 12-13

PanARMENIAN.Net
07.09.2009 17:48 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The regular meeting of IT companies’ leaders will
be held in Aghveran resort on September 12 and 13, UITE executive
director Karen Vardanyan said.

"Discussions will focus on education issues," he said.

Minister of Education and Science Armen Ashotyan, Minister of Economy
Nerses Yeritsyan and some 100 representatives of state and private
agencies are expected to attend the event.

Meetings are organized with the purpose to discuss urgent issues,
launch joint projects and submit proposals to the RA government.

VIC DARCHINYAN INTERESTED IN FIGHTING MARVIN SONSONA

PanARMENIAN.Net
07.09.2009 19:05 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ WBA/WBC super flyweight champion Vic Darchinyan
(32-2, 26KOs) is very interested in setting up a unification bout with
newly crowned WBO champion Marvin Sonsona (14-0, 12KOs). Sonsona
won the title on Friday with a twelve round decision over Jose
Lopez. International matchmaker and promoter Sampson Lewkowicz
introduced Manny Pacquiao to America. He promotes Sonsona under his
promotional company, Sampson Boxing.

Last week, Lewkowicz made a brief visit to the Little Italy section
of Manhattan. During that visit I sat down with Lewkowicz to discuss
the potential of Sonsona. He predicted a statement would be made in
Ontario and called him the next Filipino sensation. Sonsona made good
on the promise of a statement. Lewkowicz told me that big opportunities
await Sonsona in 2010. Darchinyan wants to be that opportunity.

Darchinyan has fought more than a few Filipino fighters. He
stopped Glenn Donaire in 2006. Nonito Donaire avenged his brother
by knocking Darchinyan out in 2007, and the "Raging Bull" fought to
a controversial draw with Z Gorres in 2008. He returns on December 5
with a title defense against Tomasz Rojas. Sonsona will make the first
defense of his title on the tentative date of November 21 in Ontario,
BoxingScene.com reported.

European Youth Judo Championship to start in Yerevan on September 11

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 4, NOYAN TAPAN. The European Youth Judo Championship
will be held at Yerevan’s Sport and Concert Complex on September 11-13.
Earlier, on August 20 the RA Judo Federation gave a press conference in
this connection. RA Deputy Minister of Sport Samvel Khachatrain told
reporters that 40 countries have submitted bids for participation,
which is a record number in the history of European youth championships.

President of the RA Judo Federation Alexan Avetisian said that the
teams of Albania, Ireland and Wales will participate in the European
championship for the first time. Azerbaijan has also submitted a bid
for participation. The names of all Azerbaijani judo wrestlers to
compete in 8 weight classes are known. A. Avetisian said that Armenia
is ready to ensure security of judoists from Azerbaijan and the other
countries. The number of judoists exceeds 200, and they will be
accompanied by coaches, referees and other members of their delegations.

RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan is the chairman of the governmental
organizing committee.

Judo started to gain popularity in Armenia in 1992 when Alexan
Avetisian was elected president of the RA Judo Federation. Thanks to
his efforts the Under-23 Judo Championship held in Yerevan in 2003 was
a success, with Armenian judoists winning one gold, one silver and 5
bronze medals.

YSU professors call for Pashinyan’s release

kol-pashinyan
05:54 pm | September 04, 2009 | Politics

A group of professors of Yerevan State University today issued a
statement which says in part,
"We, the undersigned, demand that Armenian authorities release
Armenian noted journalist, publicist and editor-in-chief of "Haykakan
Zhamanak" daily Nikol Pashinyan.

"The fact that the political activist struggling for the country’s
future well-being is detained for his political stance is
incontrovertible and is incompliant with the principles of the 21st
world.

At the same time we call for drastic measures to be taken to disclose
the perpetrators of the March 1 unrest.

"For Armenia and Artsakh, it is especially urgent, in light of recent
crucial events related to foreign policy, to establish an environment
of tolerance and confidence in the country

VTB childhood new deposit introduced in Armenia on September 1

YEREVAN, September . /ARKA/. VTB Childhood new deposit is introduced by
Bank VTB (Armenia) closed joint stock company on September 1, General
Director of the bank Valery Ovsiannikov reported.

The new deposit is giving parents an opportunity to accumulate funds
for future education expenses of their children, Ovsiannikov said.

Ovsiannikov pointed out that free insurance for deposit holders is part
of the new product offered by Bank VTB (Armenia).

In case of an accident, the deposit holders will get money from the
insurance company and will not have to break off the deposit,
Ovsiannikov said. The deposits will be kept until the children attain
majority and are able to get the money, he added.

Head of the bank’s department for retail business development Hayk
Shekyan, in his turn, said that interest rates on the new deposit are
9% for deposits in drams, 7% for deposits in USD and 3% for deposits in
euros.

The rate is tied to the deposit amount; deposit holders can accumulate
and the interest rate will go up, Shekyan said.

Ovsiannikov pointed out that interest rates will depend on the market
first of all and may change in the future by the end of this year or
the beginning of the next year.

`In any case, I believe that the interest rates are adequate to the
inflation recorded in Armenia,’ Ovsiannikov said adding
that it will
help people not lose on inflation and preserve money to get reasonable
interest in five years and to pay for higher education of their
children.

Bank VTB (Armenia) (Armsavingsbank before June 20 2006) joined the VTB
Group in April 2004. Currently the bank VTB is the full owner of Bank
VTB (Armenia) closed joint stock company. N.V. `0–

KARABAKH SETTLEMENT NOT FAR AWAY

Lider TV
Sept 3 2009
Baku

[Presenter] Armenians are overcome with hysteria. This was the impact
on both the diaspora and opposition forces inside that country of a
document agreed between Ankara and Yerevan on establishing ties between
the two countries. Protests have started against the authorities.

[Correspondent over archive video] The documents signed between
Turkey and Armenia cannot be described as pro-Armenian, Turkologist
Ruben Melkonyan has said at his news conference in Yerevan. In talks
like this, both sides should compromise and this is understandable,
he said. However, two points in the document are absolutely not in
favour of Armenia. One of them is that the sides recognize each other’s
territorial integrity. In Melkonyan’s opinion, historical Armenian
lands in contemporary Turkey are an integral part of Armenian national
conscience and we should stick to the idea of regaining those lands.

The Armenian Turkologist said that the second point in the document
that created a problem was about setting up an intergovernmental
commission that would research historical evidence. Turkish members of
the commission will try to question the so-called Armenian genocide,
whereas for Armenians, this issue does not present a disputable issue
that needs to be researched.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edvard Nalbandyan has almost admitted
that Armenia has been put against the wall in the diplomatic front,
has softened its position to a large extent, and is forced to make
significant concessions. Asked by a journalist whether there would be
a common border between Armenia and Karabakh, Nalbandyan said that
there should be a reliable link between Armenia and Karabakh. You
may describe this link as a corridor, but you should not think that
it will be a road, this is not so. Uninterrupted or interrupted
communication is at issue, he said. It turns out that an end has been
put to Armenians’ plans to keep Lacin and Kalbacar.

Armenian political expert Stepan Grigoryan is also raising alarm over
attempts to force Armenia to make concessions. A rapprochement and
consensus has been recently observed between the USA and Russia in
the Karabakh settlement process, he said. This promises nothing good
to Armenia, he added.

Protests have already started over both the Armenian-Turkish
negotiations and the Karabakh settlement. While the Armenian diaspora
has limited itself to expressing its concern, the opposition has
already held a protest rally. However, the rally was not successful
and massive. This shows that the Armenian population too is fed up
and is looking forward to a settlement. Thus, this time round there
is hope that the negotiations will yield a result.

AZERBAIJAN WANTS TURKEY TO KEEP ITS PROMISE

Asbarez Staff
-wants-turkey-to-keep-its-promise/
Sep 3rd, 2009

BAKU (Combined Sources)-Azerbaijan signaled on Thursday that a further
alignment of the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process with the current
Armenia-Turkey negotiations was taking place in revealing comments
that follow the release of protocols by Armenia and Turkey aimed at
establishing relations by year’s end.

"This issue was discussed last week during a telephone conversation
between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Ilham Aliyev
and Azerbaijan has once again stated its position," Novruz Mammedov,
a senior aide to Azeri President Ilham Aliyev, said on Thursday
commenting on the announcement of the Armenia-Turkey protocols.

Armenia and Turkey said Monday they will sign accords on diplomatic
ties after six weeks of domestic consultations and submit them to
their respective parliaments for ratification, after which the border
is expected to be opened within two months of ratification, possibly
by New Year.

Azerbaijan, a supplier of oil and gas to the West, opposes the opening
of borders between Armenia and Turkey without Yerevan quitting its
support for the independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, over
which Baku seeks to regain control.

Mammedov told Azeri ANS television in comments posted on its website
on Thursday that the Turkish- Armenian rapprochement was contrary to
Azeri national interests. But he added: "I believe that before the
border is opened, there could be movement in resolving the conflict,
and certain agreement."

Mediators from the United States, France and Russia have for months
said they were close to clinching an agreement on the basic principles
of a peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Karabakh. The OSCE
Minsk Group has been pushing for a speedy resolution of the conflict
before October to secure similar gains in the Armenia-Turkey track.

But analysts have been skeptical of a breakthrough, citing
a flawed mediation approach that ignores the conflicts core
issues-namely that of the Nagorno-Karabakh peoples’ right to self
determination,and Azerbaijan’s culpability in launching and losing a
war of aggression. That the two conflicts are being packaged together
into what is increasingly looking like one all-encompassing deal is
also cause for skepticism that mediators will reach a sustainable
solution to either issue.

Mammedov said that for Azerbaijan, "the main thing is that the
opening of the [Turkish-Armenian] border should not contradict" its
interests and "that certain movement should be achieved in resolving
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict."

A resolution to the Karabakh conflict, he reiterated, "depends
on the [Armenia-Turkey] negotiation and on conditions made in the
negotiations."

"It is necessary for the Turkish side to keep its promises," he added.

ARMEN SARGSYAN APPOINTED ARMENIA’S AMBASSADOR TO KOREA AND VIETNAM

armradio.am
04.09.2009 11:17

President Serzh Sargsyan signed a decree on appointing the Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to
the People’s Republic of China, Armen Sargsyan, to the position
of Armenia’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the
Republic of Korea and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, President’s
Press Office reported.