Author: Jagharian Tania

AZERBAIJAN FIRES AT NKR DEFENSE ARMY POSITIONS

news.am
April 2 2010
Armenia

On the night of April 2 and during the day, Azerbaijani troops
violated the cease-fire on the contact line between the Azerbaijani
and Nagorno-Karabakh armed forces.

The NKR Defense Ministry reported that the Azerbaijani side opened
fire at Nagorno-Karabakh army’s positions from different types of
small arms, including sniper rifles in the directions of Chakhirli
and Jraberd.

The NKR troops opened retaliatory fire, the report says.

ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER: ARMENIA HAS RESTORED MACROECONOMIC STABILITY

ArmInfo
2010-04-01 14:21:00

ArmInfo. Armenia has restored macroeconomic stability and strengthened
the financial system over the year, Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan
told the government on Thursday.

He said Armenia can rely on the IMF loans in the amount of $150
million promised for 2010 as well as other donors. "The IMF approved
the Armenian Government’s report on cooperation, which means that our
program will receive the planned financial assistance of nearly $150
million. This also means that all our international programs have been
approved," Tigran Sargsyan said. The government and the IMF agreed
that all the macroeconomic indicators for 2010 will have a neutral
impact on inflation. In addition, the prime minister said, if the
current rates of tax collection are maintained, this will restrain
the inflation pressure. The Armenian Central Bank is toughening its
financial instruments to restrain inflation.

The prime minister said that real expenditures of the Armenian budget
for Q1 2010 totaled 167 billion drams versus the envisaged 180 billion
drams. Budget deficit totaled 8.2 billion drams for Q1 versus the
envisaged 32.8 billion drams, which will also have a positive impact on
inflation restraint. Tigran Sargsyan said that the accumulated reserves
of the Armenian Central Bank exceed 150 billion drams and these funds
alongside with the funds of the stabilization funds can be used to
settle social and economic problems in the country if necessary. "Our
macroeconomic stability has been restored over the year and the
financial system has been strengthened," the prime minister said.

LE GOUVERNEMENT DEFEND LE RECOURS A L’ARMEE LE 1ER MARS 2008
par Marion

armenews
vendredi2 avril 2010
Armenie

Le gouvernement armenien a officiellement confirme la legalite d’un
ordre secret autorisant la participation de l’armee armenienne lors
de la repression des manifestations de 2008 a Erevan.

L’ordonnance ecrite, signee le 23 fevrier 2008 par le ministre de
la Defense de l’epoque, Mikael Harutiunian, a ete publiee dans le
quotidien d’opposition Haykakan Zhamanak en decembre dernier.

En 2008, l’ordonnance a ete publiee immediatement après que le
president sortant, Robert Kotcharian a ordonne aux forces de l’ordre et
aux autorites militaires de contrer les tentatives de son predecesseur
et chef d’opposition, Levon Ter-Petrossian, " pour s’emparer du pouvoir
par des moyens illegaux ", a la suite des elections presidentielles.

Le Congrès national armenien (HAK) a denonce le document comme illegal
et anticonstitutionnel. Selon les dirigeants du HAK, cette ordonnance
represente une preuve supplementaire attestant que Kotcharian a utilise
illegalement les militaires contre les manifestants avant de declarer
l’etat d’urgence a Erevan, le 1er mars.

L’alliance de l’opposition a ecrit au Premier ministre Tigran
Sarkissian le mois dernier, demandant que la directive Harutiunian
soit declaree inconstitutionnelle. Vahe Hovsepian, l’avocat qui a
redige la requete, s’est base sur les dispositions constitutionnelles
qui interdisent aux forces armees de l’Armenie de prendre partie dans
des conflits politiques.

Dans une reponse ecrite envoyee a Hovsepian cette semaine, le
gouvernement a declare que la directive ne reclame pas " le recours aux
forces armees ". Il a souligne que l’alerte ordonnee par le ministre
de la Defense etait une action de routine concernant seulement "
la gestion de l’armee ".

Hovsepian a rejete cette explication comme etant sans fondement. "
Le fait est que les forces armees ont ete utilises lors des evenements
du 1er mars 2008 ", a-t-il declare a RFE / RL.

Le porte-parole du ministère de la Defense, Seyran Shahsvuvarian,
a egalement defendu la legalite de l’ordre. Il a affirme que les
forces armees ont seulement protege des " installations d’importance
strategique " pendant les troubles meurtriers.

Shahsuvarian a precedemment confirme qu’un ancien haut responsable du
ministère de la Defense, Armen Sargsian, avait ete arrete en decembre,
soupconne d’avoir fourni l’ordonnance au quotidien. Son procès devrait
bientôt debute. Il est accuse d’avoir revele un secret d’Etat.

PRIME MINISTERS OF ARMENIA, UKRAINE TALK ON PHONE

armradio.am
01.04.2010 12:55

The Prime Minister of Armenia, Tigran Sargsyan, had a phone
conversation with the newly appointed Prime Minister of Ukraine,
Nikolay Azarov. Tigran Sargsyan congratulated Nikolay Azarov on
appointment and wished him success in this responsible position.

PM Tigran Sargsyan noted that great perspectives existed for bilateral
cooperation. The interlocutors agreed to intensify the activity of
the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation.

AGREEMENT REACHED TO ACTIVIZE WORK OF ARMENIAN-UKRAINIAN INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMISSION ON ECONOMIC COOPERATION

Noyan Tapan
Apr 1, 2010

YEREVAN, APRIL 1, NOYAN TAPAN. RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsian had
a telephone conversation with new Prime Minister of Ukraine Nikolay
Azarov congratulating him on the occasion of being appointed on his
post and wishing him success in his responsible work. T. Sargsian
said that there is a non-realized potential between the two countries,
meanwhile there are wide prospects for cooperation.

According to the RA government Information and Public Relations
Department, during the talk the interlocutors reached an agreement
to activize the work of the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic
Cooperation. In that connection Commission’s Co-chairs were charged
to coordinate and to make agenda and in the future to hold a sitting
of the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation.

THE YOUNG EMPLOYEES OF THE MUSEUMS WILL MEET

Aysor
April 1 2010
Armenia

On April 3 at 13am at the Museum after Avetik Isahakyan will take
place the third meeting of the young employees of Armenian museums.

The event is organized and realized by the young council of the
"Museum workers and friends association" NGO.

As the "Museum workers and friends association" NGO informs the
initiation is aimed at establishing new professional ties between of
the young workers of the Armenian museums, promote the implementation
of the joint projects and events as well as to discover and to discuss
the problems of the Museums and the ways of overcoming those problems.

On the meeting will also be presented the details of the autumn
conference dedicated to the problems of the Museums.

The organizer of the latter is again the young council of the "Museum
workers and friends association" NGO.

MAJILIS RATIFIED AGREEMENT BETWEEN KAZAKHSTAN AND ARMENIA ON ENCOURAGEMENT OF INVESTMENTS

Gazeta.KZ
March 31 2010
Kazakhstan

Astana. March 31. Kazakhstan Today – The deputies of Majilis of
Parliament at the plenary session today passed the bill on ratification
of the agreement between the government of the Republic of Kazakhstan
and the Republic of Armenia on encouragement and mutual protection
of investments, the agency reports.

According to the conclusion of Majilis Committee for International
Affairs, Defence and Security, the agreement between the government of
the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Republic of Armenia on encouragement
and mutual protection of investments was signed on November 6,
2006. The agreement was signed for the purpose of improvement of
an investment climate of two countries and further development of
mutually beneficial trade and economic cooperation.

According to article 2, each party encourages and creates favorable
conditions in the territory for investments of investors of the other
state and provides fair and equal opportunities for circulation of
investments and incomes of investors of the other state.

POPULATION, ITS COMPOSITION AND DISTRIBUTION IN THE NKR

NKR Government Information and
Public Relations Department
March 17, 2010

By January 1, 2010, population in the NKR averaged 141.4 thousand
persons. Current calculation of population is carried out on the basis
of the NKR population census data, which are updated by quarterly
periodicity, recorded in accounting period according to natality and
mechanical increase.

Urban and village distribution of the NKR population by January 1,
2010, formed 52.5 per cent and 47.5 per cent correspondingly. Specific
weight of population is increased by 0.5 per cent.

37 per cent of the population is centralized in the capital. 26.9
inhabit in Martouni, 23.2- in Askeran, and 23.0- in Martaker region.

48.1 percent of the population is of male sex and 51.9 per cent
of female.

LE PRESIDENT DU KARABAGH RAPPELLE QUE " L’INDEPENDANCE ET LA SECURITE DE L’ARTSAKH NE SONT PAS SUJETS A SPECULATIONS"
par Gari

armenews
mardi30 mars 2010
Karabagh

Le 28 mars, le president de la republique du Haut-Karabagh Bako
Sahakyan rencontrait les copresidents du Groupe de Minsk de l’OSCE,
l’Americain Robert Bradtke, le Russe Youri Merzlyakov et le Francais,
Bernard Fassier, et les fonctionnaires qui les accompagnaient lors de
leur nouvelle tournee dans la zone du conflit. Lors de cette rencontre,
qui a porte sur le processus de pax au Karabagh et les perspectives
d’un accord armeno-azeri sous l’egide de l’OSCE, M.

Sahakian a une fois de plus souligne qu’on ne pouvait envisager un
règlement definitif et global du conflit sans la pleine participation
de la Republique d’Artsakh. Le president Sahakyan a estime peu
constructives les declarations belliqueuses de l’Azerbaïdjan, qui
constituent un obstacle a la construction d’une confiance mutuelle
indispensable a tout accord. Il a reaffirme que l’independance et
la securite du Karabagh ne sont pas sujets a negociations, toute
tentative visant a revenir au passe pouvant provoquer des consequences
imprevisibles. M. Sahakyan a toutefois rappele l’adhesion du Karabagh
au principe d’un règlement pacifique du conflit dans le cadre du
Groupe de Minsk de l’OSCE. De leur côte, les copresidents ont egalement
souligne que tout scenario reposant sur l’usage de la force militaire
pour resoudre le conflit " est totalement inacceptable ".

Concernant les relations armeno-turques, le president Sahakyan a estime
que ce processus n’a pas de lien direct avec celui du règlement du
conflit entre l’Azerbaïdjano et le Karabagh, et que les tentatives
visant a lier ces processus ne peuvent avoir qu’un impact negatif
sur chacun d’eux. Le ministre des affaires etrangères du Karabagh
Gueorgui Petrossian et le representant personnel du president en
exercice de l’OSCE, Andrzej Kasprzyk, etaient egalement presents lors
de cette rencontre.

LES VERTS EUROPEENS : LA MENACE D’ERDOGAN CONTRE LES ARMENIENS RAVIVE DE FACON INUTILE LE CONFLIT
par Stephane

armenews
mardi30 mars 2010
TURQUIE

"La declaration du Premier turc qui a menace d’expulser 100 000
Armeniens ravive inutilement le conflit couvant et cela n’est pas
compatible avec les efforts d’adhesion de ce pays a l’UE " a declare
Ulrike Lunacek, porte-parole pour la politique exterieure de la
fraction verte au Parlement europeen.

" Une telle menace ne va pas exactement dans le sens des accords
Turquie-Armenie visant a l’ouverture des frontières qui ont ete signe
il y a quelques mois " a affirme la depute qui a ajoute " Le Premier
ministre Erdogan devrait plutôt soutenir la reprise des approches
craintives visant a la reconnaissance du genocide des Armeniens dans
son propre pays ".