NKR: Communities Will Pass To Self-Financing Activity

COMMUNITIES WILL PASS TO SELF-FINANCING ACTIVITY

NKR Government Information and Public Relations Department
April 01, 2009

Today, the regular outgoing session of the NKR Government chaired by
the Prime Minister Ara Haroutyunyan has taken place in the regional
administrative centre of Martouni.

The Executive listened to the Martouni regional administration head’s
account on the activity of 2008 and the general socio-economic state
of the region.

According to the announced data, in 2008 the volume of capital
investments in the region amounted 2546.8 mln drams, which was directed
to the implementation of construction and reconstruction works, water
supply, road construction, gasification and other activities. This
index exceeds that of 2007 by more than 875 mln drams. Dozens of
new units came into operation in the region, however, as Valeri
Khachatryan, head of Martouni regional administration noted, at present
a number of problems are in need of urgent settlement, among them the
replacement of the interior and exterior water systems of Martouni,
the villages of Taghavard and Sargsashen, asphalting the highways of
regional and republican significance, gas supply of the villages of
Kert and Karahunj, construction of a new hospital building of the
regional administrative centre. The construction activities of the
mentioned units are anticipated to be completed within one-two months.

During the previous m onths, though slowly, however population upsurge
was recorded. Major part of the population is engaged in agriculture,
the results of which, on the whole, were positive in 2008, but still
far from being satisfactory. Last year 190158 centners of grain was
gathered, the average crop yield formed 21.7 centners. In comparison
with the previous year the lands under cultivation were reduced by
6318 hectares, in spite of this, however, the gross output increased by
about 39650 centners mainly due to the favourable weather conditions.

The reporter noted that the region’s mountainous communities, where
the available land is not rationally used, are in an unfavourable
state. The arable lands and privatized territories are often turned
into hayfields and pastures. This year only 60 percent of the
privatized lands have been sown.

Works aimed at making the lands irrigable are carried out. During the
forthcoming years about 2000 hectares of arable lands will be irrigated
to necessary volumes. In the accounting year steps aimed at paying
off the existent overdue credits were taken. Though in 2008 a greater
amount was repaid than in 2007, many debtors of the region still have
considerable debts, which, on the total, form more than AMD 151 mln.

Last year positive changes were recorded in social, healthcare,
educational, communicational and other spheres of Martouni region. In
parallel with separate achievements some t roublesome facts concerning
the spheres of education and culture were noted.

The reporter particularly touched upon the fact that the majority of
the region’s culture centres are almost inoperative.

Speaking about the overall socio-economic state of Martouni Prime
Minister A.Haroutyunyan emphasized that inspite of the fact that
this zone suffered less from the war the state attention towards it
is great. In near future gasification of the dwelling areas will be
completed here, the roads Stepanakert-Nngi-Martouni and Martouni-Aghdam
will be restored. The region has a serious problem of water supply
and new mechanisms should be applied for its solution by means of the
state and community joint efforts,- the Prime Minister stated. The
state will focus its attention mainly on the creation of irrigation
systems and purposive steps in this direction have been already taken,
however, the managers’ noticeably indifferent attitude hinders in
rapidly achieving results in an important sphere, upon which the
further development of agriculture depends. Agricultural activities
must not continue developing this way,- the Prime Minister announced
and continued that community heads should destine their time mainly
for the activation and direction of the villagers’ agricultural
worksÂ". Our Republic will develop due to agriculture, people should
achieve serious results in this sphere in order to secure their
prosperity and help the country to overcome the e xisting and the
possible forthcoming financial and economic difficulties.

The head of the Government noted with regret that many rural
inhabitants refuse to engage in agricultural activities, an
inadmissible phenomenon which must be prevented. Prime Minister
A.Haroutyunyan underlined that in near future all the rural
communities should become self-financing ones. The Government cannot
provide unilateral support to the village, it must secure great and
qualitative product enriching the State Treasury with appropriate tax
payments from where the amounts will be directed to the development
of the Republic in the form of new programmes. "First of all we are
ourselves responsible for our prosperity,- A.Haroutyunyan stated and
added that much and qualitative work should be carried out to get
gross incomes". He warned the villagers about the state support to
be henceforth rendered only to working people.

At the outgoing session of the Government which was participated
by the executives of the regional administration, heads of regional
services and community heads, a number of questions were raised by the
participants. They mainly referred to the realization of agricultural
products, construction tenders, heating of educational centres,
re-registration of privatized lands and other issues. Corresponding
clarifications and tasks were given by the Prime Minister and
Government members.

Armenian President Urges Local Ore-Dressing Enterprises To Keep Work

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT URGES LOCAL ORE-DRESSING ENTERPRISES TO KEEP WORKING

ARKA
Apr 1, 2009

YEREVAN, April 1. /ARKA/. Armenia’s large ore dressing and processing
enterprises must keep working, RA President Serzh Sargsyan said
Tuesday during his meeting with Syunik region’s authorities.

The president stared his two-day visit from the Kajaran-based copper
and molybdenum plant. "We have got added evidence that the plant
was working and implementing its development program," Sargsyan was
quoted saying

Touching upon the plants in Agarak and Kajaran, the president pointed
out intensive efforts of owners to overcome all hardships.

Sargsyan urged the tree mining giants of Syunik region (the
Zangezur-based Kajaran copper-molybdenum plant, Kapan-based ore
dressing and processing enterprise and Agarak copper-molybdenum plant)
to keep working amid the crisis.

"They must work even with zero profits, realizing that they both
solve key social issues and gain profits," the president said. "If
the Kajaran-based enterprise had not worked in the early 1990s and
2000s despite hardships, it would not have earned so much profit in
the past 5-6 years," he continued.

Sargsyan vowed staunch support to those enterprises, urging them to
share their expectations with the government.

As a result of the plunge in copper and molybdenum prices, metal
prices dropped about 3.5pct in the past months, the president said as
he comment ed on the harsh situation in Armenia’s metal market. "Since
those enterprises have a lion’s share in exports, it is natural that
we face problems with exports and state revenues," Sargsyan added.

The president said the government had always discussed with the
leaders of the sector the existing problems, trying to find way-outs.

Sargsyan stressed the role of the government-private sector cooperation
to address major problems.

However, not all enterprises were able to make shrewd decisions to
weather the crisis, the president said. "Devaluation of the Armenian
dram and other positive developments in the global metal prices seem
to create favorable conditions and we should take benefits of the
situation," Sargsyan concluded.

TBILISI: Two Railways Running Into Iran

TWO RAILWAYS RUNNING INTO IRAN

The Messenger
March 30 2009
Georgia

Currently two possible new railways which will enter Iran, one from
Azerbaijan and one from Armenia, are being discussed. Armenian
Transport and Communications Minister Gurgen Sarkisian stated on
March 27 that the proposed Iran-Azerbaijan railway will not hinder
the construction of Iran-Armenia railways.

The railway connection between Iran and Azerbaijan might be
useable later this year, and would connect Russia with Iran through
Azerbaijan. As yet there is no financing for the Iran-Armenia railway
construction, but both Iran and Armenia are ready to implement the
project when the money is found.

Gul: EU should keep its promises

PanARMENIAN.Net

Gul: EU should keep its promises
28.03.2009 14:35 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkish President Abdullah Gul said on Friday that
keeping its promises was one of the fundamental principles of the
European Union (EU).

"The EU is well aware of Turkey’s influence and strategic importance,"
Gul told a news conference in Brussels.

Gul underlined the importance of his visit for giving a new momentum
to relations, raising Turkey’s interest in the EU process again after
Sunday’s local elections, and speeding up the EU membership bid.

He said that the EU had opened entry talks with Turkey on ten chapters
so far, and expressed the country’s expectation to begin negotiations
on new chapters.

Gul said that Turkey’s road map is clear, and appreciated the European
Commission’s efforts to maintain the process with good will.

"Maintaining this process was good for everybody’s best interests," he
said, adding that Turkey is not in a hurry and aimed to complete
negotiations with success.

Gul said the EU should always look into issues strategically. Turkey
became an EU candidate country in December 1999 and the union launched
accession talks with Turkey on October 3, 2005, Anatolian Agency
reports.

Soccer: Movsisyan Looking To Build On 2008

MOVSISYAN LOOKING TO BUILD ON 2008
By Randy Davis

Goal.com
March 24 2009

Real Salt Lake striker Yura Movsisyan ended 2008 with a bang, and is
out to prove that it was no fluke in 2009.

There is a lot on the line for Real Salt Lake forward Yura Movsisyan
during the 2009 Major League Soccer season. The 21 year-old Armenian
player enters his fourth season in the league and hopes to build on
the breakout performance that he had at the end of 2008.

Movsisyan scored six of his seven goals in the final eight matches
of the season last year after becoming a starter late in the season
because of an injury to teammate Fabian Espindola. He also seemed
to have a flair for the dramatic, scoring the playoff-clinching game
winner against Colorado in the 90th minute during the final match of
the regular season, and then repeating the performance the following
week, scoring another 90th minute game winner against Chivas which
propelled RSL further into the playoffs.

This season Movsisyan enters the year not only as a starter, but as
the player the team will be looking to the most for goal production. As
Coach Kreis recently told Goal.com, "We’re gonna lean on him."

That’s quite a reversal from 2008, where Movsisyan appeared to be
the fourth option at times behind Espindola, Kenny Deuchar and Robbie
Findley. However, Movsisyan knows that he needs to show everyone that
last year wasn’t an aberration.

"I’m gonna build on it," Movsisyan said. "It wasn’t just a hot streak."

Of course "building on it" is important not only for his starter
status but also for his career trajectory. If Movsisyan can continue
what he started last season, he can develop a reputation around the
league for being a proven goal scorer. This league has seen precious
few "homegrown" proven goal scorers. Players like Jozy Altidore and
Eddie Johnson developed reputations as goal scorers at a young age
and have parlayed that into moves to Europe in an effort to take
their careers to the next level.

In addition, this year is believed to be the final year of
Movsisyan’s current contract with the league. While a "contract year"
in MLS doesn’t mean that there are millions at stake like in other
professional sports leagues, performing well this season could still
benefit the striker financially.

This season also may be crucial for Movsisyan who clearly has US
National Team aspirations. He is in the final stages of the green card
process after his family came to the US several years ago seeking
political asylum. Once this is completed, Movsisyan would love to
get the call from Bob Bradley and the US National Team,

"I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t want to play on the US National
team, because that’s one thing that I want to accomplish in my
career," said the striker. "That’s one of the things I am really,
really working hard for."

All of these factors have Movsisyan extremely motivated coming into
this season. His tenacity and speed have been an important part of his
success to this point. In the early going last season, he appeared
to try to do too much on his own. The RSL man says he’s looking to
improve on that and other aspects of his game.

"I need to work on every aspect of my game. I’m not a complete
player. Every day you try to work on something new."

His team is clearly hoping that Movsisyan stays motivated and can
score goals this season. The team barely made the playoffs last season
thanks to Movsisyan’s heroics, but things could have been much easier
for them. They played an aggressive style of soccer last season,
but still struggled to score goals.

According to midfielder Kyle Beckerman, "that was the thing that held
us back from being the top team in the league last year, possibly."

However, Beckerman feels confident in his teammate to help improve
on their goal scoring ability this season,

"Yura getting some success at the end of the year, now he’s gotta
believe that he can do it in this league. If we can get him started
early, then the sky’s the limit for him."

The "sky" could include Movsisyan developing a solid reputation as a
goal scorer, earning a new contract with the league, and maybe even
earning a look from the national team.

ProCredit Bank Increases Interest Rates For AMD Deposits

PROCREDIT BANK INCREASES INTEREST RATES FOR AMD DEPOSITS

PanARMENIAN.Net
26.03.2009 16:06 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Since March 16, 2009, ProCredit Bank has started a
new spring campaign for deposits in AMD. Now the interest rates for
all AMD deposits range up to 12% annually and the minimum deposit
period starts from one month. To create more comfortable banking
services for customers the minimum account opening amount begins from
30 000 AMD. This campaign launched by ProCredit Bank should encourage
a savings culture among larger number of private households and legal
entities in Armenia.

The variety of ProCredit Bank deposits enables households (or
individuals) to choose the most convenient way to save, accumulate
and manage their funds. Currently, 80% of the deposits are made up
with the amount of less than USD 1,000, which clearly indicates that
ProCredit Bank in Armenia is reaching out to its intended client
group in offer services to previously underserved groups of the
population. The large number of small deposits is a clear indication
of the fact that ProCredit Bank has a focus on "responsible banking"
that promotes the country’s social and economic development.

Armenian PM Vows To Reopen Bjni Water Company

ARMENIAN PM VOWS TO REOPEN BJNI WATER COMPANY

892_3/26/2009_1Armenian
Thursday March 26, 2009

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan Thursday assured
hundreds of employees of an Armenian mineral water company, effectively
shut down by his government last fall, that they will return to work
before long.

The Bjni plant located in Charentsavan, an unemployment stricken town
40 kilometers north of Yerevan, was raided by security officials
and put up for sale in October after its opposition-linked owners’
refusal to pay 5.2 billion drams ($14 million) in fines controversially
imposed by tax authorities. Its more than 400 employees have been
out of work since then.

Many of them hoped that Bjni would be reopened soon when it was
auctioned off for 4.44 billion drams last month. But last week,
Armenia’s Administrative Court declared the auction null and void,
saying that the authorities cannot forcibly sell the company unless
it is declared bankrupt by another court.

"We know than there is concern in the region about the future of the
Bjni plant," Sargsyan said at a meeting of his cabinet held in the
nearby Aghveran resort. "In particular, there have been rumors that
the plant will be partitioned or split up. I want to dispel those
concerns and fears. There will be no such thing."

"The plant will operate in its integrity, and the ongoing judicial
processes do not mean that it will be sold off in parts," said the
prime minister. "We will see to it that this process is over as soon
as possible and that the plant works again."

"What is more, I think there are approaches that will contribute
to an increase, rather than a decrease, in jobs," Sargsyan added
without elaborating. Nor did he specify the authorities’ further
steps in their tax dispute with Khachatur Sukiasian, a millionaire
businessman and parliament deputy who has owned Bjni until now.

Bjni and several other companies making up Khachatur Sukiasian’s
SIL Concern group were inspected by tax officials and accused of
large-scale tax evasion shortly after the tycoon voiced support in
September 2007 for former President Levon Ter-Petrosian’s bid to
return to power. Sukiasian has dismissed the charges as baseless and
politically motivated.

He was among several Ter-Petrosian associates who went into hiding to
escape arrest following the February 2008 presidential election. Their
whereabouts remain unknown.

www.asbarez.com/index.html?showarticle=40

American Congressman Call For Increasing Economic Assistance To Arme

AMERICAN CONGRESSMAN CALL FOR INCREASING ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE TO ARMENIA TO $70 MILLION IN 2010

PanARMENIAN.Net
25.03.2009 21:36 GMT+04:00

With Congressional appropriators in the early stages of crafting
the Fiscal Year 2010 foreign aid bill, Congressional Armenian Caucus
Co-Chairs Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) earlier today urged
their House colleagues to join with them in backing the inclusion of a
series of provisions aimed at strengthening U.S. ties to Armenia and
Nagorno Karabagh, and bolstering the prospects for regional peace,
reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA.)

"We commend the leadership of Representatives Pallone and Kirk in
ensuring that the foreign aid bill reflects America’s support for
Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh and furthers our nation’s efforts to
ensure a fair and lasting peace in the Caucasus region," stated
ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "We look forward to working
toward the adoption of the vital foreign aid priorities outlined in
the letter sent today by the Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs."

In a March 24th "Dear Colleague" letter, Members of Congress were
encouraged to co-sign a letter to Foreign Operations Subcommittee
Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-NY), a longstanding supporter of the
U.S.-Armenia relationship, and Ranking Republican Kay Granger
(R-TX). The letter cited six key foreign aid priorities, including:

— Enhancing restrictions on U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan,
as outlined in Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, by further
limiting Presidential authority to waive the provision in light of
continued Azerbaijani government incitement of a military solution
of Nagorno Karabagh conflict.

— Increasing economic assistance to Armenia from the FY2009 level
of $48 million to $70 million.

— Increasing military assistance to Armenia from FY2009 level of
$3.3 million to $5 million.

— Increasing the amount and scope of U.S. assistance to Nagorno
Karabakh from the FY2009 level of $8 million in humanitarian aid to
$10 million in both humanitarian and developmental assistance.

— Including language "urging Azerbaijan to support confidence-building
measures that facilitate interaction among the parties, in order
to address regional security, resource management, infrastructure,
development and people to people programs."

— Removing restrictions on travel, contacts, and the free exchange
of ideas between U.S. officials and the democratically elected leaders
of Nagorno Karabakh.

Members of Congress will have until March 31st to join with
Reps. Pallone and Kirk to support these U.S. foreign aid priorities
as the foreign aid panel begins drafting the FY2010 foreign aid bill.

Armenia’s Parliamentary Delegation To Attend The 32nd Sitting Of The

ARMENIA’S PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION TO ATTEND THE 32ND SITTING OF THE CIS IPA

"Radiolur"
25.03.2009 15:25

On March 25 Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia Hovik
Abrahamyan received the Secretary of the CIS Interparliamentary
Assembly, Mikhail Krotov.

Mr. Krotov conveyed to the Armenian Parliament Speaker the greetings
of the President of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly, Sergey
Mironov, and the President of the CSTO Interparliamentary Assembly,
Boris Gryzlov and an invitation to attend the 32nd plenary sitting
of the CIS IPA to be held in Saint Petersburg on 14-15 May.

During the meeting reference was made to the issues on the agenda of
the 32nd plenary sitting of the CIS IPA. The parties discussed issues
related to future cooperation and questions of bilateral interest.

Hovik Abrahamyan confirmed the participation of the Armenian
parliamentary delegation in the sitting