Author: Dabaghian Diana

AMERIABANK SEES PROSPECTS OF RAPID GROWTH AT REGIONAL LEVEL

PanARMENIAN.Net
31.03.2010 19:45 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Ameriabank sees prospects of rapid growth at the
regional markets, Artak Hanesyan , Ameriabank chairman of directorate
and director general told a news conference in Yerevan today.

"Speaking of regional markets we mean CIS markets, in particular our
presence in the financial markets of Georgia, Southern Russia and
Ukraine will be discussed: all this issues will be considered at the
strategic level," he said.

According to him, projects in these countries will vary from a bank
acquisition to direct investments in production and energy companies.

A specialized institution Ameria Equity Partners has already been
established with a 20 million USD capital, over time, perhaps in a
year, this figure will change about five times, and all these funds
will be directed to profitable and developing businesses, " he said.

Ameriabank is a corporate investment bank providing investment,
corporate and limited retail banking services in the form of a
comprehensive package of banking solutions. Ameriabank’ strategic
partner is Troika Dialog" group, one of the largest investment banking
companies in Russia.

ARMENIA ENTERS STABILIZATION AND RECONSTRUCTION STAGE

news.am
March 31 2010
Armenia

"We have entered a stage of stabilization and reconstruction, and
our task is to restore our pre-crisis potential as soon as possible
and reconstruct the economy," RA Minister of Finance Tigran Davtyan
told reporters on March 31.

"That is, we want to return to the pre-crisis situation not only
politically; we want to carry out certain structural changes. So
whether we have or have not overcome the crisis – it is a somewhat
rhetorical question. It depends on what we mean by this," Davtyan said.

As to when the "stabilization and reconstruction" stage is over,
the Minister said: "I think it is a matter of 12-18 months, from
today. If the current rate is maintained, it will happen before the
end of next year. We can also speak of general recovery. In some
cases it will be quicker, in others slower."

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT OFFERS CONDOLENCES TO RF PRESIDENT

news.am
March 29 2010
Armenia

RA President addressed a letter to RF President Dmitry Medvedev
and offered his condolences on the death of people as a result of a
terrorist act in the Moscow Underground.

"Dear Dmitry Anatolyevich,

"Please, accept my heartfelt condolences on the numerous victims of
the terrorist act at the Moscow Underground on March 29, 2010.

"Armenia strongly condemns all the manifestations of terrorism. It
is time for the international community’s uncompromising actions to
put an end to this modern-day plague. I am sure everything possible
will be done for identifying and punishing the masterminds behind
the terrorist act.

"Please, convey my condolences to the victims’ relatives and friends.

We are mourning with you and all the Russians."

FORMER DEFENSE MINISTER WARNS OF POTENTIAL AZERBAIJANI AGGRESSION

ARKA
March, 30, 2010
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, March 30, /ARKA/. Samvel Babayan, a former defense minister
of Nagorno-Karabakh, warned today of a potential military aggression on
part of Azerbaijan saying Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh must focus their
efforts on building powerful states in order to rebuff Azerbaijan’s
‘impudence’. Speaking at a news conference Samvel Babayan said no
political solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is likely in the
next several years.

‘To all appearances Azerbaijan is gearing up for a war, but we all
must work together to prevent it,’ he said.

He was also asked to comment on a recent statement by president
Serzh Sargsyan in an interview with Syrian newspaper Al Watan that
Azerbaijani territory currently held by Armenian forces could be
returned in exchange for security and self-determination for the
Nagorno-Karabakh.

"When the people of Karabakh get a true chance to realize their right
to self-determination and mechanisms for security and development are
created, then in compromise the Armenian side can consider the return
of the regions around Karabakh, preserving the corridor linking it
and Armenia," he said, warning that "unilateral concessions will
deepen the existing dangers and threats."

According to Samvel Babayan, Serzh Sargsyan will not make such
concessions and his statements in the interview should be reviewed
in the political context only.

‘Azerbaijan is not talking about concessions but demands the immediate
return of the territories and when a party to the conflict comes
with such demands it is meaningless to talk about concessions,’ he
said. He then downplayed speculations that the mounting tension around
the conflict may prompt a change of power in Armenia as was in 1998.

The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh broke out in 1988 after the
predominantly Armenian-populated enclave declared about secession
from Azerbaijan As Azerbaijan declared its independence from the
Soviet Union and removed the powers held by the enclave’s government,
the Armenian majority voted in 1991, December 10, to secede from
Azerbaijan and in the process proclaimed the enclave the Republic
of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Full-scale fighting, initiated by Azerbaijan, erupted in the late
winter of 1992. International mediation by several groups including
Europe’s OSCE’s failed to bring an end resolution that both sides
could work with. In the spring of 1993, Armenian forces captured
regions outside the enclave itself. By the end of the war in 1994,
the Armenians were in full control of most of the enclave and also
held and currently control seven regions beyond the administrative
borders of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Almost 1 million people on both sides have been displaced as a result
of the conflict. A Russian- -brokered ceasefire was signed in May
1994 and peace talks, mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group, have been
held ever since by Armenia and Azerbaijan.

LET’S LEAVE THE ISSUE TO HISTORIANS, SAYS ERDOGAN

Aysor
March 30 2010
Armenia

Resolution, branding the 1915 mass killings against Armenians in
Turkey, will harm the process of normalisation of relations with
Armenia, said Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the
conference, where he spoke jointly with German Chancellor Angela
Merkel.

"Let’s leave this issue to the historians," CNN Turk quotes Turkish
PM. "Parliament is not a place for solving such kind of issues,"
he added. Erdogan also pointed that country’s Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu voiced concerns over the issue in a phone conversation with
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Referring to Armenia-Turkey reconciliation, Angela Merkel, who is
on a two-day visit to Turkey, said that "it’s necessary to develop
relations between Armenia and Turkey; Encouraging steps have been
taken," she stressed.

GOVERNMENT DOING BEST TO CURB PRICES, MP STATES

news.am
March 30 2010
Armenia

The Armenian authorities, especially the Central Bank, must do their
best to curb prices and be able to predict price rise," Gagik Minasyan,
Chairman of the Committee on Finance, Credit and Budget, RA Parliament,
told reporters.

He stressed that the expected rise in the gas price will give impetus
to the price rise. In this context, Minasyan said that the Armenian
Government has raised monthly pensions by 2,500 AMD (about U.S. $6),
without reducing other social payments. "Numerous credit programs
tempered the impact of the economic crisis on the socially vulnerable
sections of Armenia’s population," he said.

Minasyan pointed out that prospects can look better if 3% economic
growth is registered in the fist 3-month period of 2010.

PRESIDENT SERZH SARGSYAN RECEIVED THE DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC, MINISTER OF DEFENSE MARTIN BARTAK

president.am
March 28 2010
Armenia

Today, President Serzh Sargsyan received the Deputy Prime Minister
of the Czech Republic, Minister of Defense Martin Bartak.

President Sargsyan said that Armenia was interested in deepening
relations with the Czech Republic in bilateral as well as multilateral
formats.

The parties concurred that the two countries have great potential for
cooperation in the framework of European and Euro-Atlantic structures.

President Sargsyan said that Armenia pays attention to the active
cooperation in international structures since it would considerably
assist the process of reformation in our country, aimed at the
improvement of all areas of public life.

President Sargsyan noted that Armenia is interested in active
cooperation with the Czech Republic in the sphere of defense and the
visit of Deputy Prime Minister Bartak is a good opportunity to put
that interest on a practical base.

In his turn, the Minister of Defense of the Czech Republic noted with
satisfaction that the agreement on military cooperation signed today
between the two countries opens new prospects for cooperation. He
added that they had productive discussions with the Armenian Minister
of Defense and identified concrete areas of joint activities.

Deputy Prime Minister Bartak also said that on this visit to Armenia
he was accompanied by the delegation of Czech businessmen. The parties
expressed hope that the Armenian-Czech business contacts would help
to discover and utilize great potential present in that area.

In the person of Martin Bartak, President Sargsyan thanked the Czech
Republic for its unbiased position regarding the NK conflict and noted
that separation of the Czech Republic and Slovakia was an excellent
example of civilized self-determination.

NKR PRESIDENT MEETS THE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS

armradio.am
29.03.2010 10:35

On March 28 President of the Artsakh Republic Bako Sahakyan met
Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group Robert Bradtke (USA), Yuri Merzlyakov
(Russian Federation) and Bernard Fassier (France), Central Information
Department of the Office of the NKR President reported.

Issues related to the current stage and prospects of the
Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict settlement were discussed during the
meeting.

The Head of State once again underlined that without the full
participation of the Artsakh Republic it would be impossible to reach
final and comprehensive settlement of the conflict.

President Sahakyan noted that unconstructive, militaristic approaches
of Azerbaijan and its denial of mutual confidence initiatives are
the pivotal hindrances on the way of the conflict settlement. The
President underlined that independence and security of Artsakh are
not subjects to any speculations and any attempt to bring back the
past are pregnant with unpredictable consequences.

The President of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic reiterated Artsakh’s
adherence to peaceful settlement of the conflict within the frameworks
of the Minsk Group. The co-chairs also underlined that any scenario
of military solution of the conflict is absolutely unacceptable.

Touching upon the Armenian-Turkish relations, the President noted
that this process does not have any relations to the settlement of
the Karabakh conflict and attempts to tie up these processes cast
negative impact both processes leading them to an impasse.

Issues related to the situation along the line contact were also
discussed at the meeting.

Czech Deputy Prime Minister to Visit Armenia
2010/03/25 | 14:25

politics

Tomorrow, a delegation headed by Martin Bartak, Deputy Prime Minister
and Defense Minister of the Czech Republic, will arrive in Armenia on
an official visit.

The Defense Ministers of Armenia and the Czech Republic Seyran Ohanyan
and Martin Bartak will have a face-to face meeting to be followed by a
document signing ceremony and a press briefing. Mr. Bartak is also
scheduled to pay tribute to the victims of the Armenian Genocide at
the Tzitzernakaberd Memorial Complex.

Turkish Prime Minister meets with a representative of Istanbul’s
Armenian community

26.03.2010 19:54 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Friday, March 26, Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan met with a representative of Istanbul’s Armenian
community Bedros Sirinoglu.

The meeting focused on Genocide issue; Armenia-Turkey rapprochement
and Armenian migrants’ issues were discussed, Anatolian News Agency
reported.