Author: Chaltikian Arsine

Press and Information Department
of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
of the Republic of Armenia
Tel. + 37410 544041. ext. 202
Fax. + 37410 565601
e-mail: [email protected]
web:

Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian meets Gernot Erler,
Minister of State of the German Federal Foreign Office

On March 30, Minister Nalbandian received Gernot Erler, Minister of
State of the German Federal Foreign Office who arrived in Armenia
accompanied by MP Steffen Reiche, Chairman of Germany – South Caucasus
parliamentary group of the German Bundestag.

In his welcoming remarks Minister Nalbandian stressed that a
high-level political dialogue has been established between the two
countries, partnership in bilateral and multilateral formats is
effective, business and cultural ties are expanding. Minister
Nalbandian said that Armenia attaches importance to further deepening
and strengthening of comprehensive cooperation with Germany.

The two had a detailed discussion on the "Eastern Partnership"
initiative. Edward Nalbandian mentioned that the Declaration of the
European Summit, which creates basis for further cooperation, has been
carefully discussed in Armenia. Minister underlined that Armenia is
ready to have an active cooperation with the EU structures and
member-states toward further development and implementation of the
Eastern Partnership.

Minister of State of the Federal Foreign Office underlined that
cooperation between the two countries in political, economic,
educational and cultural areas is excellent and attaches importance to
the efficiency of Armenian-German intergovernmental consultations and
the activity of Armenian-Germany friendly parliamentary group.

Minister Nalbandian and State Minister Gernot Erler also touched upon
developments in Nagorno Karabakh peace process and discussed issues
concerning the possibilities of normalization of Armenian-Turkish
relations.

The meeting was followed by joint press conference of Deputy Foreign
Minister Karine Kazinian and Minister of State of the German Federal
Foreign Office Gernot Erler.

COOPERATION BETWEEN ARMENIA, GERMANY EFFECTIVELY DEVELOPING

armradio.am
30.03.2009 15:29

On March 30, 2009 the Foreign Minister of Armenia, Edward Nalbandian,
received the Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office of
Germany, Gernot Erler, who arrived in Armenia accompanied by the
Chairman of the Germany-South Caucasus Parliamentary Group of the
German Bundestag, MP Steffen Reiche.

Greeting the guests, Minister Nalbandian noted that a high-level
dialogue has been established between the two countries, the
cooperation in bilateral and multilateral formats is effectively
developing, the business and cultural ties are expanding. Minister
Nalbandian said Armenia attaches importance to the further deepening
and reinforcement of multifaceted cooperation with Germany.

The interlocutors discussed in detail issues related to the EU
Eastern Partnership Initiative. Edward Nalbandian noted that Armenia
has considered the declaration of the European Summit on Eastern
Partnership and is preparing to closely cooperate with EU structures
and member states in the direction of its further development and
implementation.

The Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office of Germany
assessed as excellent the cooperation between the two countries in
the political, economic, educational and cultural fields, emphasizing
the importance of Armenian-German intergovernmental consultations
and the effectiveness of the activity of the Armenia-Germany Deputy
Friendship Group.

The interlocutors turned to the current stage of negotiations on
the Karabakh conflict settlement, discussed issues related to the
opportunities of normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations.

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Rights Council of Australia
Email: [email protected]

South Australia Recognises the Armenian Genocide

26 March 2009

On behalf of the Armenian community in Australia, the Armenian Rights
Council of Australia would like to thank the South Australian
Parliament’s Legislative Council for passing a motion recognising the
Armenian Genocide as "one of the greatest crimes against humanity.’
The motion, introduced by the Hon. David Ridgway MLC (Leader of the
Liberal Opposition in Legislative Council) and seconded by the
Hon. Bernard Finnigan (Member of the Labor Government in Legislative
Council) went through unopposed. As a result, the Upper House of South
Australia’s parliament joins the New South Wales parliament in
condemning "the Armenian Genocide and all other acts of genocide".

Recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the Australian Federal
Government remains an important objective for the Armenian Rights
Council. Being proud citizens of Australia , the Australian Armenian
community looks forward to the moment when the Australian Parliament
displays the same level of courage and conviction that the SA
Parliament displayed when they joined NSW and officially recognised
the Armenian Genocide.

Armenian Rights
Council of Australia
[email protected]

Hovnanian’s pay too high – governance firm
Thu March, 2009
NEW YORK, March 12 (Reuters) – Corporate governance firm Proxy Governance
Inc has recommended that shareholders withhold votes from the directors on
Hovnanian Enterprises Inc’s compensation committee because of the chief
executive’s high compensation relative to that at peer companies.
CEO Ara Hovnanian’s average three-year compensation is 290 percent above the
median paid to chief executives at peer companies, Proxy Governance wrote in
its report.
"The company’s executive compensation is high due to its equity grants and
bonus grants in fiscal 2006 and 2007," the firm wrote. In fiscal 2008,
Hovnanian received about $4 million in total compensation, with about $1.5
million From stock options and almost $1 million in bonus on top of a $1
million base salary.
But Chief Financial Officer Larry Sorsby said that although under accounting
rules the company must report those options as income in the year that they
vest according to the value that they had when they were granted, they are
worthless because the company’s share price has fallen so precipitously.
"Based on our recent stock price, our stock would have to increase by about
800 percent for even the lowest-priced option to be worth anything to Mr. Ara
Hovnanian," Sorsby said.
Hovnanian received a bonus because he increased the company’s cash position
to over $800 million at the end of 2008 from $12 million at the end of 2007,
Sorsby said.
The company is family controlled, which means the family can approve any
proposal on the shareholder ballot with its own votes alone, Proxy Governance
said. "Any shareholder vote on the issue is essentially a protest vote. We
believe that shareholders should use it as such."
On the grounds that Hovnanian’s compensation fell by 31.56 percent to about
$4 million in 2008, rival governance firm ISS Government Services did not
recommend in its report that shareholders withhold votes for the compensation
committee’s members.
"We will, however, continue to monitor the company’s pay practices to ensure
that there is no pay-for-performance disconnect going forward," ISS wrote.
The homebuilders are mired in the worst housing slump since the Great
Depression. Hovnanian’s shares are down about 95 percent from their high on
the year in March 2008. They hit their lifetime high of $73.40 in July
2005. (Reporting by Helen Chernikoff, editing by Gerald E. McCormick)

ARMENIAN MINISTER OF ECONOMY MET WITH FINNISH AMBASSADOR

RIA OREANDA
March 27 2009
Russia

Yerevan. OREANDA-NEWS . On 27 March 2009 was announced, that the
Minister of Economy Nerses Yeritsyan received Petri Salo, the
Ambassador of Finland to Armenia.

The Armenian-Finnish bilateral trade and economic cooperation-oriented
efforts promotion in the framework of European Neighborhood Policy
(ENP) and strengthening of partnership within the scope of Eastern
Partnership Initiative (EPI) program issues were discussed during
the meeting.

The Finnish Ambassador informed the Minister of Economy about the new
project developed by the Ministry for foreign trade and development
of Finland within the scope of EPI, aimed at deepening and broadening
of Finnish relations with 11countries (including Armenia) in divers
field. According to Petri Salos words, it is expected to implement the
Information and Communications Technology (ICT) development project
within the territory of Armenia.

Nerses Yeritsyan welcomed the opportunity of cooperation with Finland
in ICT sphere, and underscored that it is envisaged to become an
ICT laboratory for neighborly countries, especially for Russia. The
Minister also mentioned that aggressive exercises, aimed at signing
of Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement with EU, are in the
process and expressed hope, that good- neighborly relations with
European countries will have a positive influence on it.

CIS FINANCE MINISTERS TO MEET IN MOSCOW

PanARMENIAN.Net
26.03.2009 19:37 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On Mar. 31, 2009 RF Reception House in Moscow will
host the Permanent Council of CIS Finance Ministers. Finance Ministers
will focus on CIS Member States’ social and economic issues and steps
to overcome financial crisis consequences. The parties plan to agree
on joint position of CIS Member states at Group of Twenty Summit due
on Apr. 2 in London.

Permanent Council of CIS Finance Ministers was formed under the
resolution of CIS Member States’ Presidential Council on Oct. 10, 2008
to examine crisis situation and develop anti- crisis measures. The
first sitting of Permanent Council of CIS Finance Ministers was held
on Oct.21.

On the initiative CIS Member States’ Presidential Council, suggestions
on overcoming financial crisis consequences were submitted to
Intergovernmental Monetary Committee, as well as CIS Economic Council.

CIS States have established a permanent cooperation to exchange
opinions on the issue. The following steps were already undertaken:
support to financial and banking systems, administration of safety
guarantees for bank deposits, widening possibilities of national
currency use in trade relations, financial assistance to major
organizations, support in economy sphere and prevention of mass
unemployment.

Despite existing complications, no program initiated in CIS has
been suspended, which proves that CIS Member States are possessed of
extensive means to overcome financial crisis consequences.

VIVACELL-MTS WILL NOT RAISE TARIFFS FOR MOBILE SERVICES

PanARMENIAN.Net
25.03.2009 18:06 GMT+04:00

In the nearest future VivaCell-MTS does not plan to raise tariffs for
mobile services, VivaCell-MTS General Manager Ralph Yirikian told a
news conference on Wednesday. "We’ll take every effort to lower our
tariffs to make our services more affordable to company subscribers,"
Ralph Yirikian stated.

Yirikian noted that company’s services are updated on a monthly
basis. VivaCell-MTS has scheduled an extensive service program in 2009,
so novelties will appear in mobile services market every 10 to 15 days.

Yet VivaCell-MTS didn’t manage to avoid financial crisis
consequences. Thus, the company income decreased by 13% in the fourth
quarter of 2008 as compared to the beginning of the year. 2009 results
are still in summarization process.

Still, Yirikian stressed that company’s customer base is currently
serving over 2,065 million subscribers against 2,05 million registered
in the end of February.

VivaCell-MTS Armenia’s leading mobile operator. Mobile Tele Systems
(MTS), the largest mobile operator in Russia and CIS, owns 80% of
company’s shares, the remaining 20% are owned by Fattouch Lebanese
Investment Group.

TURKEY MAY HELP U.S. WITHDRAW TROOPS FROM IRAQ?

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.03.2009 16:44 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ There have been signals coming from Ankara that not
only US troops but also their arms may be allowed to be transported
via Turkish soil, i.e., via the Ä°ncirlik air base in the country’s
south, Turkish government sources have said.

"If we are going to make a fresh start in our relations with the
US, then Turkey has to act positively. This means that Ankara is
ready to talk with the US about both the passage of American troops
and arms via Turkish soil. But this does not mean that Turkey will
accept all US requests," said the same sources, speaking to Today’s
Zaman on condition of anonymity. As a reflection of a new period in
Turkish-US relations under President Barack Obama, Ankara is prepared
to talk with Washington without any prejudice and in a positive mood,
said the same sources.

President Obama announced recently that most American troops would
be withdrawn from Iraq by August 2010. Around 35,000 US troops are
expected to stay in Iraq to aid with training, civilian protection
and counterterrorism.

ANKARA, YEREVAN TO SIGN PAPER – REPORT

AzerNews Weekly
March 19 2009
Azerbaijan

Armenians in the United States have appealed to President Barack
Obama and the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the US
legislature, ahead of Obama`s visit to Turkey scheduled for April,
requesting them to reconsider the issue of the alleged World War
I-era genocide.

They claim that it is time for the newly-elected US president,
who pledged to ensure recognition of the purported genocide to the
Armenian lobby while on the campaign trail, to keep that promise. The
appeal further maintained that Obama should term the 1915 developments
in Turkey as genocide in his speech on April 24, the day considered
by Armenians to be the date marking what they call mass killings of
their countrymen in the Ottoman Empire.

However, the Turkish government does not appear concerned over the
"genocide" issue. Thus, the local media has published reports claiming
the country`s border with Armenia, which is currently closed due to
historical tensions, will open up by April 24. Turkey`s influential
Star newspaper, known for maintaining close ties with the country`s
ruling AK party, has said that Ankara and Yerevan are due to sign an
agreement on normalizing relations by that date. The report said that
besides reopening the border, the paper covers restoration of trade
ties and researching the alleged 1915 massacre by a joint commission
of historians, a proposal repeatedly made by Turkey but shrugged off
by Armenia. It also said the wording of the document would be revealed
by April 24.

The source also said the Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh
conflict is not the deciding pre-condition for the normalization of
Turkey-Armenia relations, adding that Baku is being informed, from time
to time, about the course of talks underway between the two countries.

Armenia and Turkey have been at odds and the border between the two
countries has been closed since 1993 on Ankara`s insistence due to
Armenia`s policy of occupation of Azerbaijani territory and Armenian
genocide claims.

Observers note that during events in the Ottoman Empire from 1915
to 1923, Armenians had been involved in riots. They had taken up
arms against Turkey and assisted Russia, one of Turkey`s enemies in
WWI. To counter these actions, the Ottoman Empire decided to resettle
the Armenians. However, during this process, Armenians claim that
their ancestors were victims of genocide, while Ankara rejects the
allegations and has repeatedly offered to jointly study the issue.

TURKISH OFFICIAL SOUNDS UPBEAT ON RELATIONS WITH OBAMA

The White House Bulletin
March 19, 2009 Thursday
USA

A senior Turkish foreign policy official on Thursday morning gave
positive reviews to Turkey’s relations with the United States under the
new administration, telling a small group of writers in Washington,
"Our policies are almost identical on all issues." Ahmet Davutoglu,
the chief foreign policy advisor to Turkey’s prime minister with
the rank of ambassador, said that his consultations with the State
Department, lawmakers on Capitol Hill, and National Security Council
advisor Gen. James Jones ?

a meeting that ran longer than expected this morning — had gone
well and covered planning for President Obama’s forthcoming historic
visit to Turkey on April 6-7. "There is no historical baggage,"
Davutoglu said of the Turkish-U.S. relationship. He conceded that
since about 2005 there has been a "problem of image perception of
the United States inside Turkey." That was an apparent reference to
multiple problems: the unpopularity of the Bush administration foreign
policy, U.S. military presence in neighboring Iraq, the U.S. stance on
Mideast issues, and the U.S. Congress’ interest in raising the issue
of whether Turkish actions against Armenians early in the last century
constitute a genocide. Opinion polls in Turkey — a NATO ally and key
partner for the U.S. in the Muslim world — have shown dramatically
low favorable ratings for the U.S. in recent years. Davutoglu hailed
Obama’s coming trip to Turkey ? Obama’s first to a mostly Muslim
country as president. "I am sure it will be a very successful visit,"
he said, adding, "Nothing can shatter this successful visit."

Davutoglu said Turkey would continue to assist Iraq with reconstruction
and do likewise with Afghanistan. He said Turkey would be willing to
continue facilitating indirect talks between Syria and Israel if the
yet-to-be-completed, incoming Israeli government wants to do so. Five
previous rounds of such talks, he said, "achieved a lot."

On Iran, he urged that the nuclear issue be dealt with through the
United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency and that Iran
comply with IAEA requests. He complimented the Obama for sending
"very good messages" on Iran but added that Turkey would not be in
favor of economic sanctions that restrict the flow of energy across
the region ? signaling that if Washington takes that route Turkey,
a needed player in any such operation, would oppose it. — Bulletin
exclusive from U.S. News