Author: Chatinian Lara

ARMENIA EXPECTING A $50 MILLION CREDIT FROM WORLD BANK IN EARLY APRIL 2009

ArmInfo
2009-03-19 12:51:00

ArmInfo. Armenia expects a $50 million credit from World Bank in
early April 2009, Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan said at
the government Thursday.

He said the credit agreement with the WB has already undergone all
the officially procedures and was approved by the Armenian Parliament
Wednesday.

‘We think Armenia will receive $50 million from the World Bank within
two weeks’, the premier said. It is an anti-crisis program. The
funds will be provided to the Central Bank and then placed with
local commercial banks for onlending to SMEs. T. Sargsyan said the
government will exert efforts to find additional funds for onlending
SMEs. ‘I think that demand for borrowed funds will be higher than
the proposed $50 million. We have already agreed with international
organizations for increase of crediting’, the premier said. He said
that in current conditions operative implementation of the program
is very important. ‘We should follow that these funds placed with
commercial banks within a short period of time’, the premier said.

To recall, Central Bank of Armenia and the International Bank for
Reconstruction and Development [IBRD], part of the WB, signed a credit
agreement for $50 million on February 26. The greatest part of the
funds will be onlent to small and medium-sized enterprises. However,
the agreement implies also crediting in terms of US dollars. The
program will involve the enterprises whose annual turnover does not
exceed 500 million drams ($1.3 million). The credit is provided for
26,5 years, 5- year grace period and 4% annual interest.

IRAN-ARMENIA RAILWAY IMPORTANT FOR THE REGION

The Messenger
March 17 2009
Georgia

While meeting the Iranian Foreign Minister on March 11 Armenian
Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian stated that the Iran-Armenia railway
construction would be important not for the two countries alone but
the entire region. Iran and Armenia are cooperating in different areas
including transportation, energy supplies and road construction which
stimulate the implementation of new projects. Today there are different
projects being negotiated such as the construction of railways between
the two countries and the building of a hydro electro power station
on the river Araks and terminal for oil products in Armenia.

Armenian Parliament Speaker Ovik Abramian has stated that Armenia’s
losses during the Georgian-Russian war would have been much greater
if not for Iran’s support. The Speaker added that Iran has always
been a good neighbour of Armenia.

TO VISIT ARMENIA TOURISTS TO PAY 5 TIMES LESS STATE TAX THAN EARLIER

ArmInfo
2009-03-16 14:18:00

ArmInfo. Today Armenian parliament made alterations and amendments
to the law ‘On state tax’ in the first reading.

As Armenian Economy Minister Nerses Yeritsyan said, the law will
resolve two problems. First, the state tax on getting visa for 21
days will be reduced from the [resent 15thsd drams to 3thsd. This
will make it possible to activate the tourist business and attract
additional number of tourists to the country. The second problem is
regarding definition and giving of "stars" to hotels. It is envisaged
to fix the state tax for the hotels which have ‘stars’. Those which
have 3 stars will pay less than others with mote stars.

This will make hotels of the republic available for foreign tourists.

Moreover, tourism will grow by 3-5%.

ESTABLISHING RELATIONS WITH ARMENIA TURKEY CHOOSES THE PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE: LOCAL EXPERT

ArmInfo
2009-03-16 14:14:00

ArmInfo. Turkey has chosen the path of least resistance denying the
Genocide and does not allow any other country to recognize it at
the same time establishing its relations with Armenia independently,
Levon Melik-Shahnazaryan, the local political expert told ArmInfo.

‘Given the fact that one of the preconditions of Turkey’s admission
to the EU is normalization of relations with Armenia, Turkey is
establishing good-neighbored relations with Armenia automatically
lifting the problem of genocide recognition at least for the
transitional period of joining the EU’, he said.

The expert does not share the certain sense of euphoria among Armenian
citizens for establishment of relations between Yerevan and Ankara. ‘I
don’t think this new wave of Armenian-Turkish relations is a reason
for such euphoria. Let’s remember Garegin Nzhdeh and his great phrase
"Turks are masters in imitating friendship". I think it is the very
situation now’, he said.

‘Turkey simply needs improving relations with Armenia or at least
creating such visibility for several reasons. First, Turkey wants to
prevent recognition of Armenian Genocide by a number of states. They
will have a new triumph card since Turkey is launching negotiations
with Armenia for establishment of diplomatic relations and declares
that recognition of Armenian Genocide by a third country will have a
negative impact of Armenia-Turkey relations. The logic is not clear,
of course. However, it works’, the expert says.

Fresno Bee, CA
March 12 2009

Armenian population numbers are a chilling reminder of genocide

Thursday, Mar. 12, 2009 E-Mail

A chilling bit of new evidence has emerged in the controversy over the
Armenian genocide, and it comes from an unlikely source: the records
of the man who was in charge of the deportation of tens of thousands
of Armenians during World War I, when the genocide began.

A book published in Turkey in January quotes records left by Mehmed
Talat, the Ottoman Empire’s interior minister during that period. By
the numbers, the population of Armenians in the empire fell
dramatically in 1915-1916, from just under 1.3 million to a little
more than 280,000. Almost 1 million people simply disappeared from the
records.

The modern-day Turkish government, as always, has little to say about
the figures beyond its standard line about there being a war on, and
the Armenians were treacherously supporting Russia, the Ottomans’
ancient enemy.

As always, that story doesn’t wash. The armed opposition of a tiny
handful of Armenians doesn’t explain the Ottomans’ perceived need to
deport, starve and kill some 1.5 million people, many thousands of
them old men, women and children.

This revelation will add new fuel to the campaign for official
American recognition of the genocide. April 24, the traditional day
marking the beginning of the genocide, is coming up, and with it a
renewed effort to put the American government on record acknowledging
those awful events.

To that end, a group of congressmen who’ve lobbied hard for genocide
recognition has sent a letter to President Barack Obama, calling on
him to fulfill his earlier support, as a senator and presidential
candidate, for American recognition of the genocide. The group is led
by Rep. George Radanovich — a co-author of the Armenian Genocide
Resolution — and includes Reps. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena, Mark Kirk,
R-Ill., and Frank Pallone, D-N.J.

There will be considerable pressure brought to bear on Obama to
continue the denial of the Armenian genocide that has characterized
presidents of both parties for decades. The argument has been that the
U.S. relationship with Turkey would be threatened by recognizing the
historical fact of the genocide, given the Turks’ intransigence on the
subject.

It’s time for that to end.

48.html

Nothing can question fact of Armenian genocide

12.03.2009 14:07

Yerevan (Yerkir) – Armenian Foreign Minister Edvard Nalbandyan lectured
at the French Diplomacy Academy on March 10 with a speech entitled
"South Caucasus: The Reality and Future."
Politicians, diplomats, experts and journalists attended the lecture.

Speaking on the Artsakh conflict, Nalbandyan said that while the wounds
of the war launched by Azerbaijan have not healed yet Baku is provoking
a new war.
Nalbandyan spoke about the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement and
paid attention to the belligerent and non-constructive policy of
Azerbaijan. The Armenian FM said Azerbaijan has been circulating
documents at the UN which not only negatively affect the negotiation
process but also aim to justify possible use of force.

Nalbandyan also talked about normalization of Armenian-Turkish
relations in his speech. According to him the solution process of the
problems between Armenia and Turkey could not question the fact of the
Armenian Genocide. "If Armenia and Turkey have a political will and
sincere intentions to normalize the relations, no factor could prevent
it," he said.

Armenian FM said the "crucial" meeting of Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and
Abdullah Gul in Yerevan gave a new momentum to the negotiations and is
in the interests of the two states and peoples. According to the
minister, the negotiations are aimed not only at normalization of the
Armenian-Turkish relations but also assumed a serious contribution to
assure regional security and stability.

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
March 13 2009

Police detain retired colonel linked to Malatya murders

A retired colonel being sought on an arrest warrant issued as part of
an investigation into Ergenekon, a clandestine terrorist organization
charged with plotting to overthrow the government, was detained in
Ankara yesterday by squads from the Ankara Police Department.

Investigators believe the retired colonel, identified as Mehmet
Ã`lger, might solidify the suspected link between Ergenekon and the
murders of three Christians at a publishing house in Malatya in
2007. It has been reported that Ã`lger previously served as the
Malatya Provincial Gendarmerie Battalion commander. He was lined up to
testify in court as a witness in the murder of three Christians in
Malatya, sources said. Zekeriya Ã-z, the chief prosecutor in the
Ergenekon investigation, is planning to investigate suspected links
between the Malatya murders and Ergenekon. Reports said Ã`lger’s
name was mentioned in a letter written by an informant to the court
conducting the Malatya investigation.

Sources said the police had been monitoring the retired colonel’s
phone conversations as part of the Ergenekon investigation for some
time. Ã`lger was detained as a result of potentially incriminating
statements he made during phone conversations with several Ergenekon
suspects and because of information provided by Dicle University
instructor Abdurrahim DoÄ?ru, who was detained earlier in the
investigation on charges of financing Ergenekon. Ã`lger, who was
detained yesterday in the capital, was transferred to Ä°stanbul
for interrogation by police and will later testify to a court.

Meanwhile, a noncommissioned officer on active duty at the
Intelligence Department of the Diyarbakır Gendarmerie Battalion
Command was detained yesterday. The noncommissioned officer, a special
sergeant identified as Mehmet Ã?olak, was also transferred to
Ä°stanbul yesterday. Ã?olak frequently met with Ruhi Abat,
a theology professor who allegedly incited the Malatya murders.

The co-plaintiff lawyers in the Malatya case requested in January that
Ergün Poyraz, one of the suspects arrested in 2007 as part of
the investigation into Ergenekon, testify in court as a witness in the
Malatya murder case.

Ergenekon-Malatya link

Recent evidence collected in the Ergenekon investigation has
consistently suggested that the brutal Malatya killings might have
been organized by Ergenekon, which is suspected of a large number of
murders and bombings aimed at creating chaos in the country to serve
the organization’s ultimate purpose of overthrowing the
government. Lawyers representing the families of the victims have been
calling for a deeper investigation into Ergenekon ties since the start
of the investigation.

During a hearing of the Malatya case held in February at the Malatya
3rd High Criminal Court, the presiding judge announced that the
Ä°stanbul 13th High Criminal Court, which is trying the
Ergenekon case, had sent his court a copy of the Ergenekon indictment
in response to the Malatya court’s query into the possibility of
merging the two cases. The judge also said the Ergenekon indictment
had as of that day been merged with the Christian murders case.

Ergenekon is suspected not only in the Malatya murder case, but also
in various other attacks and assassinations, including the killing of
Armenian journalist Hrant Dink in early 2007.

On April 18, 2007, Necati Aydın (35), UÄ?ur Yüksel
and German national Tilmann Ekkehart Geske (46) were tied to their
chairs, tortured and stabbed at the Zirve publishing house in the
eastern Anatolian city of Malatya before their throats were slit. The
publishing house they worked for published Bibles and Christian
literature. Suspects S.G., C.Ã-., H.T. and A.Y., whose full names
were not disclosed because of their ages, were caught at the crime
scene and immediately taken into custody. The main suspect, Emre
Günaydın, jumped from a third-story window while
attempting to escape from police and was taken into custody after
being hospitalized.

13 March 2009, Friday
TODAY’S ZAMAN Ä°STANBUL

Interfax, Russia
March 12 2009

Armenian-Turkish talks could contribute to regional security –
Armenian Foreign Ministry

YEREVAN March 12

Armenian-Turkish talks are aimed not only at stabilizing bilateral
relations but could also make an important contribution to regional
security and stability, according to Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard
Nalbandian.

"The Armenian-Turkish talks are based on the interests of the two
countries and nations and are aimed not only at stabilizing the
relations but also at making an important contribution to regional
security and stability," Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian
was quoted as saying at the French International Diplomatic Academy on
Wednesday by the Armenian Foreign Ministry on Thursday.

Meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan "have been
constructive and very promising," Nalbandian said.

There are still no diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey.

The 1915 events in the Ottoman Empire remain the stumbling block in
the relations between the two countries. The Armenian genocide in
Ottoman Turkey in 1915, which, according to various sources, claimed
over 1.5 million lives has been recognized by a number of
countries. Armenia’s efforts to get the same recognition from Turkey
have so far failed.

For its part, Ankara demands that the Karabakh conflict be resolved to
reflect Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.

In 2008, the Turkish president visited Yerevan at the Armenian
president’s invitation for the first time in history. The Armenian
president is due to pay a return visit to Turkey in October 2009.

Georgia’s Ambassador leaving Armenia with respect for the country and
love for the people

armradio.am
11.03.2009 13:48

RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan received the Ambassador Extraordinary
and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to Armenia Revaz Gachechiladze, who is
completing his mission in our country.

The Prime Minister thanked the Ambassador for his four-year activity
targeted at the reinforcement of friendly relations and the cooperation
in different spheres.

Reaz Gachechiladze noted that during his diplomatic mission in our
country he had an opportunity to follow the processes in Armenia over
the past years. `I’m leaving Armenia with respect for country and love
for the Armenian people,’ Revaz Gachechiladze said.

PM Tigran Sargsyan wished success to the Ambassador in his further
activity and private life.

Panorama.am
17:26 11/03/2009

COUNCIL OF EUROPE CONGRESS TO MONITOR ELDER’S ELECTIONS

The Vice Prime Minister of Armenia, the Minister of Territorial
Administration Armen Gevorgyan invited the Congress of the Council of
Europe to have a monitoring mission in the forthcoming elections of
council of elders of Yerevan on 31 May.

The Congress made decision in Congress Bureau session dated on 4 March
to send a monitoring group to Armenia, reported press and public
relations department of Association of Communities of Armenia.

Note that the Council of Europe Congress has conducted monitoring in
the previous local elections in Armenia. Find the English version of
the reports made in this regard in
;lang =am.

Source: Panorama.am