Author: Chakhmakhchian Vatche

PRESIDENT OF ARMENIA CONVENES MEETING WITH HEADS OF THE COUNTRY’S POLITICAL PARTIES REGARDING PROTOCOLS ON NORMALIZATION OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS

ArmInfo
2009-09-17 10:24:00

ArmInfo. Today, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan convened a meeting
with heads of the country’s political parties regarding the protocols
on normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations.

To note, the meeting is held in the Sport and Concert Complex
n.a. Karen Demirchyan in a closed format.

To recall, Armenia and Turkey have agreed to start internal political
consultations around the "Protocol on Establishment of Diplomatic
Relations Between the Two Countries" and the "Protocol on Development
of Bilateral Relations" signed during the negotiations under the Swiss
mediation. It is scheduled to complete the political consultations
during six weeks, after which the two protocols will be signed and
submitted to the two countries’ parliaments for approval.

TURKISH PM SPEAKS ABOUT KARABAKH ISSUE IN UN SUMMIT

AZG DAILY
16-09-2009

Turkish Prime Minister Rejep Tayip Erdogan is going to leave for the
United States to attend the sitting of UN General Assembly and summit
of G-20.

According to Turkish Zaman this year Turkey will be present by the
Turkish PM in UN Assembly. It is said that the Turkish PM has a speech
to address to the world leaders. Ankara’s policy on Armenia and Cyprus
will be presented, either. In the framework of G 20 summit it is
supposed that Turkish PM will have a meeting with the U.S. President
Barack Obama. It’s worth mentioning that the Turkish story covering
PM’s travel is called Erdogan: Karabakh issue in USA. Though Karabakh
issue is not mentioned in the story but it is said that the PM will
speak about it either, Panorama reports.

ERDOGAN-SARGSYAN MEETING EXPECTED IN USA?

Panorama.am
14:38 14/09/2009

The Prime Minister of Turkey Tejep Tayip Erdogan is leaving for the
United States on 21 September, Turkish "Sabah" reports. It is said
that the Turkish PM will not be accompanied by reporters.

It is also said that the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, Turkish
PM Tayip Erdogan and Foreign Ministers Edward Nalbandyan and Ahmet
Davutoglu are going to have meeting in the U.S. It is going to be
the fourth meeting that the Armenian and Turkish officials have.

RF agency on humanitarian cooperation to establish Russian school in
Armenia
11.09.2009 23:02 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Conduction of events like the Days of Russian Speech
help strengthen Russian-ARmeian relations, head of federal agency on
CIS affairs and humanitarian cooperation Farit Mukhametshin told
reporters in Yerevan.

He informed that the agency plans to establish a Russian school in
Armenia but noted that the Armenian Law on Language hampers
realization of the project.

`The problem is that the law will prohibit the school from functioning
in line with Russian standards. But we hope to find a solution jointly
with the Armenian Ministry of Culture,’ Mr. Mukhametshin said.

ASHOT KOCHARIAN APPOINTED AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY AND PLENIPOTENTIARY OF RA TO LEBANON

NOYAN TAPAN
SEPTEMBER 10
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 10, NOYAN TAPAN. On September 10, RA President Serzh
Sargsyan signed decrees on relieving Ashot Kocharian of the position of
RA Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to India and appointing
him as RA Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Lebanon
(residence in Beirut), the RA President’s Press Office reported.

IMF PREDICTS 10-15% FULL-YEAR CONTRACTION OF ARMENIAN ECONOMY

ARKA
September 9, 2009
Yerevan

YEREVAN, September 9, /ARKA/. Nienke Oomes, IMF Resident Representative
in Armenia, said today Armenia’s full-year economic contraction,
according to a preliminary outlook, will be between 10-15%, the
inflation rate will be 3%.

Armenia’s GDP in January-June plunged by 16.3%. According to official
figures, a 0.4% deflation was recorded in August against July, while
the consume price index in August was 102.0 % from 2008 December.

Nienke Oomes said according to the latest official IMF forecast,
Armenian economy would fall by 9.5% by yearend, but she added that
that forecast is being revised now.

She said an IMF delegation is visiting now Armenia and its members
will discuss the situation with Armenian government and Central Bank
officials and representatives of private sector, following which the
forecasts will be specified, but ‘according to preliminary figures,
the decline will be between 10-15% and the average annual inflation
rate will be curbed to 3%, one of the lowest index."

"The IMF expects the overall full-year contraction to be lower than
in the first half of the year because the decline began in the last
quarter of 2008," she said, adding that the IMF shares Armenian
government’s forecast about a relatively small growth expected
next year. Earlier Armenian finance ministry also predicted a 10-15%
full-year contra ction for this year. The World Bank outlook is 12-15%,
that of inflation is 6%. -0-

YEREVAN, September 9, /ARKA/. Nienke Oomes, IMF Resident Representative
in Armenia, said today Armenia’s full-year economic contraction,
according to a preliminary outlook, will be between 10-15%, the
inflation rate will be 3%.

Armenia’s GDP in January-June plunged by 16.3%. According to official
figures, a 0.4% deflation was recorded in August against July, while
the consume price index in August was 102.0 % from 2008 December.

Nienke Oomes said according to the latest official IMF forecast,
Armenian economy would fall by 9.5% by yearend, but she added that
that forecast is being revised now.

She said an IMF delegation is visiting now Armenia and its members
will discuss the situation with Armenian government and Central Bank
officials and representatives of private sector, following which the
forecasts will be specified, but ‘according to preliminary figures,
the decline will be between 10-15% and the average annual inflation
rate will be curbed to 3%, one of the lowest index."

"The IMF expects the overall full-year contraction to be lower than
in the first half of the year because the decline began in the last
quarter of 2008," she said, adding that the IMF shares Armenian
government’s forecast about a relatively small growth expected next
year. Earlier Armenian finance ministry also pr edicted a 10-15%
full-year contraction for this year. The World Bank outlook is 12-15%,
that of inflation is 6%.

YEREVAN HOSTED DISCUSSION ON IV ALL-ARMENIAN FESTIVAL ONE NATION, ONE CULTURE

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
09.09.2009 18:22 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In a recent session held in Yerevan, the Trustee
Board of One Nation, One Culture fund discussed issues concerning
the IV Armenian International Festival to be held in Yerevan in
2010. Participants decided to schedule the event for late July,
2010, said Tamara Poghosyan, Chair of Trustee Board. "Early in July,
Yerevan hosts Golden Apricot International Film Festival, so we find
that One Nation, One Culture will form its organic continuation/"

As noted by creative director Armen Manukyan, festival should first
of all serve a bridge between Armenia and Diaspora. "It would be
advisable for the festival to have its anthem," he said.

One Nation, One Culture festival aims to assist in the development and
preservation of Armenian culture and cultural identity in Diaspora,
establishment of ties between Armenian and Diaspora-Armenian artists,
extension of intercultural ties and development of contemporary
Armenian art.

PHYSICIST LOSES BID FOR VISA BASED ON ABILITY
By TIM HULL

Courthouse News Service
Sept 9 2009

(CN) – An Armenian theoretical physicist who self-published a text
book and lectures at a California community college does not qualify
as an "alien of extraordinary ability" for visa purposes, the 9th
circuit ruled.

In a 2-1 decision, the Pasadena-based appellate panel upheld a lower
court’s decision to deny 34-year-old Poghos Kazarian an immigration
visa.

The court said Kazarian, a tutor and adjunct instructor at Glendale
Community College, is "not yet of the caliber that qualifies him as
‘an alien with extraordinary ability.’" Kazarian applied for an
employment-based immigrant visa in 2003, claiming that his work as a
theoretical physicist qualified him for a visa. A district court ruled
for the Citizenship and Immigration Service, denying Kazarian a visa.

The Armenian appealed, and the 9th Circuit affirmed the lower court’s
ruling.

Though Kazarian submitted several letters of recommendation from
colleagues, the court said they were vague and lacked convincing
details.

Judge Dorothy Nelson wrote that "although Kazarian is well-respected
by his colleagues, he has not yet attained the stature required by
the statutory scheme."

The bar for "extraordinary ability" includes only those with "a level
of expertise indicating that the individual is one of that small
percentage who have risen to the very top of the field of endeavor,"
Nelson added.

Though Kazarian, a specialist in "non-Einsteinian theories of
gravitation" is a promising young scientist, Nelson wrote, his
accomplishments thus far do not meet that standard.

Nelson added that Kazarian may well qualify for an "exceptional
ability" visa, for which the bar is set significantly lower, though he
would have to show evidence that he was sought after by U.S. employers.

In the dissenting opinion, Judge Harry Pregerson wrote that "forcing
Dr. Kazarian to depart from our country would be undoubtedly wasteful
and make one think that there is something haywire in our system."

PRESIDENT SARGSYAN ARRIVES IN CROATIA

armradio.am
07.09.2009 18:09

The President of the Republic of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan arrived
in the Republic of Croatia today at the invitation of his Croatian
counterpart Stjepan Mesic.

Following the official welcome ceremony on the Island of Veli Brijun,
the Presidents of Armenia and Croatia had a face-to-face meeting at
Bella Villa. The meeting continued in an extended format.

Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Stjepan Mesic gave a joint press
conference on the results of the talks.

This morning the delegation headed by President Sargsyan will leave for
Zagreb, where the Presidents of the two countries will participate
in and deliver speeches at the opening of the Armenian-Croatian
business forum.

President Sargsyan will have meetings with the Chairman of the National
Assembly of Croatia, Luka Bebic, and Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor.

Serzh Sargsyan is expected to visit historical and cultural sites.

Crimea hosts conference "Armenians of Ukraine: yesterday, today and
tomorrow"
05.09.2009 14:45 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ International Scientific Conference "Armenians of
Ukraine: yesterday, today and tomorrow" launched on September 5 at the
Armenian Surb Khach (Holy Cross) monastery in the Crimea. As David
Davtyan , one of organizers of the conference told a PanARMENIAN.Net
reporter, the forum gathered scientists from Ukraine, Russia, Belarus,
Poland and Armenia.

The conference is organized by the Center for Armenian Studies under
Union of Armenians of Ukraine, Crimean Armenian Society with
assistance of Ukrainian Eparchy of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

The conference will work until September 6.