Author: Chaltikian Arsine

IMF TO RELEASE $60 MILLION TO ARMENIA

ARKA
Nov 3, 2009

YEREVAN, November 3, /ARKA/. The Executive Board of the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) said today in a statement it has completed the
second review of Armenia’s economic performance under a program
supported by a Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) and approved a request
for a waiver of nonobservance of end-September 2009 fiscal balance
performance criterion, modification of the quantitative performance
criteria for end-December 2009 to reflect the revised macroeconomic
framework and rephasing of purchases to make the amounts scheduled
to become available following the second and third review available
upon completion of the second review.

It said these decisions enable the immediate release of SDR 37.72
million (about US$60 million), bringing the total disbursed to SDR
301.94 million (about US$479 million). The 28-month SBA was approved
on March 6, 2009 with access augmented on June 22, 2009.

On March 6, 2009 the Executive Board of the International Monetary
Fund (IMF) approved a 28-month SDR 368 million (about US$540 million)
Stand-By Arrangement for Armenia to support the country’s program to
adjust to the deteriorated global outlook, restore confidence in the
currency and financial system, and protect the poor.

On June 22 the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) completed the first review of Armenia’s economic performance
under a Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) and approved an increase in the
IMF’s financial support to an amount equivalent to SDR 533.6 million
(about US$822.7 million; or 580 percent of Armenia’s quota).

PRESENT TO YEREVAN

Aysor
Nov 4 2009
Armenia

The collection of the pictures of Yerevan History Museum is replenished
by the help and support of the "Happy birthday, Yerevan" project,
informs the information and public relations department of Yerevan
Municipality.

By the joined initiation of the Culture Ministry of the Armenian
Republic and the History Museum of Yerevan the 64 artists participating
in the project have congratulated on the birthday of Yerevan by
presenting their paintings. Gagik Beglaryan has called them devoted.

Welcoming the initiation the Mayor has called it provisional step and
has mentioned that the result will be more obvious if everyone will
have its contribution in Yerevan city. Diplomas have been presented
to the painters.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT’S VISIT TO KUWAIT TO INFLUENCE ARAB WORLD

news.am
Nov 3 2009
Armenia

RA President Serzh Sargsyan’s visit to Kuwait may signals the
improvement and development of relations with the Arab world,
the orientalist Araks Pashayan told NEWS.am. She pointed out that
developing relations with the Arab world must become one of the
priorities of Armenia’s foreign policy.

The expert believes that the Armenian leader’s visit to Kuwait is
an unprecedented event, as "Robert Kocharyan is the only Armenian
President that visited the Persian Gulf region, but President Serzh
Sargsyan is the first Armenian leader that visits Kuwait." Pashayan
also pointed out that Kuwait has huge oil resources and great influence
in the League of Arab States and Organization of Islamic Conference
(OIC).

Pashayan pointed out that the OIC’s attitude to Armenia is far from
being a favorable one because of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. The
Armenian leader’s visit is a good opportunity to influence its
position. Kuwait has great influence on other Arab states, and the
Armenian President’s visit may signal the improvement of Armenia’s
relations with other Arab states. Pashayan said Kuwait and Armenia
can develop scientific and cultural ties. "The Arab world has
known Armenians well for a long time, and Arabs respect our people,
Pashayan said.

There is an 8,000-member Armenian community in Kuwait, which has its
own church.

RA PRIME MINISTER TIGRAN SARGSYAN RECEIVED MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF BELARUS SERGEY MARTYNOV

Mon day, 30 November 2009

To start with, both sides agreed in that despite the global financial
and economic crisis, bilateral economic relations are showing positive
trends which should be strengthened through more active work of the
intergovernmental commission.

The interlocutors discussed possibilities of cooperation in a number
of spheres of mutual interest, including tractor engineering, mining
industry, vehicle and machine building, high technologies. The idea
of founding an Armenian-Belarusian business center was emphasized
on either side to become a special platform for the development of
business ties.

The Prime Minister suggested that all of the items discussed should
be taken up at the next meeting of the intergovernmental commission
in order to be examined in more detail.

In conclusion, Tigran Sargsyan was invited to visit the Republic of
Belarus at his convenience.

IRANIAN CAPITAL MAY BE MOVED FROM TEHRAN

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
02.11.2009 12:31 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Teheran’s days as the Iranian capital may be numbered
after a powerful government body approved a plan for a new principal
city in an attempt to protect residents from a dangerous earthquake.

It has witnessed some of Iran’s most tumultuous events: the fall of
the shah, the return of Ayatollah Khomeini and the transformation
from pro-western monarchy to revolutionary Islamic republic.

Now Tehran’s days as the Iranian capital appear numbered after a
powerful state body approved a plan for a new principal city. The idea
was proposed by the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,
and rubber-stamped by the expediency council.

Seismologists have warned that Tehran is liable to be struck by a
catastrophic earthquake in the foreseeable future. It is not clear
whether a new capital will be built from scratch or sited in an
existing city.

Iran has had numerous capitals during its history, including Isfahan,
Qazvin, Shiraz, Mashhad and Hamedan. Since the Qajar king Agha
Mohammad Khan declared it capital in 1795, Tehran has become the
country’s political, social, economic and cultural centre.

Its infrastructure has been left creaking by rapid population growth
that has seen it become home to 12 million people, up from 250,000
at the start of the 20th century.

A mass influx from the countryside under the last shah, Mohammad
Reza Pahlavi, fed the social discontent unleashed by the 1979 Islamic
revolution. The population has continued to spiral since then, with
unregulated development creating a traffic-clogged and polluted
urban sprawl.

Most recently, Tehran was the centre of mass street protests triggered
by the disputed re-election of the president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,
which opponents insist was achieved through fraud.

Plans for a new capital were first drawn up 20 years ago, but officials
only gave them serious consideration after the 2003 earthquake that
devastated the south-eastern city of Bam and killed an estimated 40,000
people. Experts warn that Tehran sits on at least 100 faultlines –
including one nearly 60 miles long – and that many of its buildings
would not survive a major quake.

Professor Bahram Akasheh, a seismologist and dean of the faculty of
basic sciences at Tehran Azad University, said the city had been
chosen as capital "by mistake" and its north-eastern suburbs were
vulnerable to an earthquake measuring eight on the Richter scale.

"I warned of this 40 to 50 years ago and if they had listened to me
then, Tehran wouldn’t have grown into a macro-city, but now control
is lost over it. The city is growing bigger and bigger every day and
so are the poor suburbs around it," he said.

He said a new capital should be built between Qom – home to the
country’s clerical establishment – and Delijan, in Markazi province,
an area that has not seen an earthquake in 2,000 years, The Guardian
reported.

Trend, Azerbaijan
Oct 31 2009

Jewish organization in US states impossibility of worsening relations
with Turkey

31.10.2009 13:34

Tensions in the Turkey- Israel relations will not affect the deep
Jewish-Turkish friendship, National Director of the giant U.S.
organization Anti-Defamation League, Abraham Foxman said, CNN Turk
reported.

"This is an old and strong friendship and therefore new problems
[between Turkey and Israel] cannot affect it," Foxman said at the
meeting on the relations of the Turkish and Jewish communities.

Tensions between the two strategic partners arose after Ankara’s
refusal to participate in joint military trainings with Israel on the
backdrop of Turkey’s rapprochement with Syria and Iran.

"If Turkey wants to be close to the Arab and Middle Eastern countries
– there is no problem. But why should it be to the prejudice of the
Turkish-Jewish friendship," Foxman said. "I hope these tensions will
be temporary in nature."

Regarding the 1915 "Armenian genocide", Foxman said the
Anti-Defamation League’s position on this issue remains unchanged.

According to Foxman, the problem of the "Armenian genocide" should be
solved between Turkey and Armenia, but not in the U.S. Congress or in
the French Parliament.

The draft resolution urging the Obama administration to recognize the
so-called 1915 "Armenian genocide" at the Ottoman Empire was submitted
to the Senate of the U.S. Congress on Oct.28. Senators Robert Menendez
(Democrat from New Jersey) and John Ensign (Republican, Nevada) are
the authors of the resolution, ITAR-TASS said.

EDWARD NALBANDIAN RECEIVES OPCW DIRECTOR GENERAL ROGELIO PFIRTER

Noyan Tapan
Oct 29, 2009

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 29, NOYAN TAPAN. RA Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian
receiving Rogelio Pfirter, the Director General of the Organization
for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on October 29, positively
estimated OPCW’s activity, which is harmonious with international
community’s efforts to resist the current challenges, in particular,
in the sphere of preventing proliferation of mass extermination arms.

According to the RA Foreign Ministry Press and Information Department,
issues regarding Armenia-OPCW cooperation were discussed in detail
at the meeting. Rogelio Pfirter expressed satisfaction with Armenia’s
assistance to OPCW’s efforts aimed at comprehensive use of the Chemical
Weapons Convention (CWC).

Speaking about regional problems the sides gave assurance that all
countries’ joining the Convention will be an important factor for
strengthening stability and security in the region.

RUMI FORUM TO BESTOW PEACE AND DIALOGUE AWARDS

Today’s Zaman
Oct 29 2009
Turkey

The Rumi Forum bestowed its annual Peace and Dialogue Awards on
Tuesday.

The Rumi Forum, a think tank established by Turks living in Washington,
D.C., to foster intercultural dialogue, bestowed its traditional Peace
and Dialogue Awards on Tuesday, honoring Organization of the Islamic
Conference (OIC) Secretary-General Professor Ekmeleddin Ä°hsanoglu,
Democratic Congressman Gerry E.

Connolly of Virginia, Professor John Borelli from Georgetown
University, Professor Sidney Griffith from the Catholic University of
America, Maureen Fiedler, host of the Interfaith Voices radio program
on WAMU radio, and Ebru TV, a Turkish channel aired in the US.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers called on US President
Barack Obama not to send additional troops to Afghanistan in his
speech at the award ceremony, adding: "You cannot get peace by
winning wars. … There is no military victory in Iraq, Afghanistan
or anywhere else."

Congressman Connolly praised the activities of the Rumi Forum,
saying, "If there is something that I think is important and that is
represented by this forum tonight and the work of the Rumi Forum, it
is the ability it has to bind us all in tolerance and understanding."

Congressman Mike McMahon of New York described the protocols signed
between Armenia and Turkey for the normalization of their diplomatic
ties and the opening of their border as historic.

Several attendees speaking at the award ceremony expressed their
support and admiration for the honorary president of the Rumi Forum,
Fethullah Gulen, a renowned Islamic scholar advocating increased
interfaith dialogue. "He is not only working hard to teach us respect
for one another but also the necessity of learning more about one
another," Professor Griffith said of Gulen.

Great interest in the ceremony from congressmen The Rumi Forum award
ceremony was attended by 14 congressmen, both Republican and Democrat,
the largest number so far present at an event organized by Turks living
in Washington, D.C. The attendees were Gerry Connolly (Virginia);
John Conyers (Michigan); Walter Jones, Larry Kissell, Howard Coble
and Bob Etheridge (North Carolina); Keith Ellison (Minnesota); Bill
Cassidy (Louisiana); Nick Rahall (West Virginia); Mike McMahon (New
York); Jean Schmidt (Ohio); Robert Aderholt (Alabama); Kendrick Meek
(Florida); and Vic Snyder (Arkansas).

Representatives, including ambassadors, from embassies of Turkey,
Afghanistan, Albania, Yemen, Romania, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Croatia,
Moldova, Greece, South Africa, Bahrain, Fiji and Mali also attended
the event.

SERZH SARGSYAN: AVIATION DEVELOPMENT IS CONSTANTLY KEPT IN THE SPOTLIGHT

PanARMENIAN.Net
29.10.2009 18:00 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ President Serzh Sargsyan received Head of
International Aviation Committee (IAC) Tatyana Anodina, RA President’s
press service reports.

Mr. Sargsyan positively assessed committee’s 18-year activities,
reiterating Armenia’s willingness to continue and broaden cooperation
towards strengthening aviation security.

President also noted that aviation development and security issues
were constantlty kept in the spotlight.

In her turn, Anodina briefed on committee’s activities and current
programs.

RASIM AGAYEV: BAKU STILL OFFENDED WITH TURKEY

PanARMENIAN.Net
29.10.2009 20:39 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkey will ratify the protocols signed with
Armenia, but it will not hurry in this matter, political analyst
Rasim Agayev said.

"The Turks don’t need to hurry in this business not to irritate
Azerbaijan more. On the other hand, Ankara hopes that in the mean time
the position of Armenia over the settlement of the Karabakh conflict
to relent, that positively affect the overall situation in the region,
" Rasim Agayev said.

According to him, despite the fact that the air was cleared in regard
ot signing Turkey-Armenia protocols, and Turkish colors again are
flying in the Alley of Shehids in Baku, but "Baku still offended with
Turkey ", Novosti Azerbaijan reports.

Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Turkey on October 10 have signed
"Protocol on establishing diplomatic relations" and "Protocol for the
development of bilateral relations " in Zurich. Within two months from
the date of signing the documents should be sent to parliaments for
ratification. There are no diplomatic ties between Turkey and Armenia,
the border between the countries has been closed since 1993.