Author: Jalatian Sonya

mediamax, Armenia
March 25 2010

Armenian ex-premier says export stimulation to overcome crisis

Export stimulation is the only way out of the current economic
situation in Armenia. Mediamax reports that former Prime Minister of
Armenia Hrant Bagratyan said this at a news conference in Yerevan
today.

According to him, "the country should earn currency, and this is
impossible without production". He stressed that export of Armenian
production is hindered by domestic importers.

Hrant Bagratyan also touched upon the situation with the exchange rate
of the national currency. According to him, tendency of armenian dram
depreciation against US dollar will be preserved till the end of the
year. "In these conditions, the steps of the Central Bank of Armenia
are dangerous and deal a blow to the entire banking system", ex-Prime
Minister stated.

Hrant Bagratyan also noted that if the Armenian government takes up
realization of "100 Steps" program of the oppositional Armenian
National Congress, personally he will renounce struggle for shift of
power.

TURKEY TAKES STEPS TO ADDRESS ARMENIA ISSUES
By Daren Butler

Reuters
March 25 2010

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkey’s ambassador to Sweden will resume her
duties within days, two weeks after being recalled in protest at
Sweden’s parliament branding as genocide the World War One killing
of Armenians by Ottoman forces.

The move, announced by Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in an interview
late on Wednesday, was a step to ease tensions over a highly sensitive
issue which has cast a shadow over efforts to normalize ties between
arch-rivals Turkey and Armenia.

In a separate Armenia-related development, Turkey announced on Thursday
that permission had been given for Christian worship to be held once
a year at an abandoned island church restored as a museum in Eastern
Turkey’s Lake Van.

The recall of the envoy to Sweden, a strong supporter of Turkey’s bid
to join the EU, came a week after Ankara recalled its ambassador to
the United States because a U.S. congressional committee approved a
similar resolution on the 1915 killings.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan also canceled a Turkey-Sweden
summit scheduled for this month in response to the ruling which was
opposed by Sweden’s center-right coalition.

Turkey accepts many Christian Armenians died in partisan fighting
beginning in 1915 but vehemently denies that up to 1.5 million were
killed and that it amounted to genocide — a term employed by some
Western historians and foreign parliaments.

Davutoglu said Ambassador Zergun Koruturk would return to her duties
by the start of next week, but said Ankara was still assessing when
the ambassador to Washington would return. That decision will be tied
to the fate of the U.S. resolution.

"The examples of the United States and Sweden are not the same. The
Swedish government clearly showed its opposition to acceptance of
the bill," he said.

ARMENIAN CHURCH Separately, the Culture Ministry has given its approval
for a religious service to be held once a year in the recently
restored Armenian church on the island of Akdamar in Van province,
the regional governor’s office said.

The 10th-Century church is located in eastern Turkey, which was home
to ethnic Armenians before World War One. It reopened in 2007 as a
museum. The site has significant symbolic importance for Armenians,
and religious leaders had suggested that religious services be allowed
once a year.

The Van governor’s office had last year sought permission from the
ministry for such a ceremony and the governor was reported as saying
by state-run Anatolian news agency that the decision would boost
faith tourism in the region.

"Nobody should have any doubt that we will welcome our guests from
home and abroad in the best possible way on September 12," Governor
Munir Karaloglu said.

The decision came amid mutual recriminations between Turkey and Armenia
over the lack of progress on accords which they signed last year to
establish diplomatic ties and open their border. Neither parliament
has yet approved the protocols.

Relations have also been soured this month by Erdogan’s threat to
deport thousands of Armenian migrants working illegally in Turkey.

Neighboring Armenia has compared Erdogan’s warning to the language
that preceded the 1915 mass killings.

(Writing by Daren Butler)

ARMENIAN FM TO VISIT MOSCOW

ward-nalbandian
12:44 pm | March 24, 2010

Official

Armenia’s Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian will pay a working visit
to Moscow on March 25-26 to participate in the sittings of the Council
of Foreign Ministers of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
and Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), reports RA MFA
press service.

NOW TURKEY NEEDS TO CONVINCE AZERBAIJAN

HULIQ
March 23 2010
SC

In a rare public revelation the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan
said that it may be possible to return some of the territories around
the disputed Nagorno Karabakh to Azerbaijan, mainly populated by
Armenians, in return for self-determination right for the region and
a land corridor between Amenia and Nagorno Karabakh.

Armenian president Sargsyan told Syria’s Al Watan newspaper the
condition under which his country is ready to return some of
the territories to Azerbaijan to conclude the long running peace
negotiations between the two countries for the final status of Nagorno
Karabakh. Sargsyan is in the middle of an official visit to Syria.

The problem is that Azerbaijan keeps using the war-like rhetoric as
the country’s president last Saturday once again announced that his
country will never accept the right of self-determination of the people
of Nagorno Karabakh. Actually, they kind of accept it, but under their
own terms. For example, they say that right of self-determination
will be only exercised under Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity
and that the Azerbaijani Army will protect the people of Nagorno
Karabakh. Never mind the fact that the Armenian population of Nagorno
Karabakh was fighiting against the army of Azerbaijan after the break
up of the Soviet Union to defend it’s human rights. Another fact is
that self-determination is self determination and the people who will
vote under the updated Madrid principles (put forward by USA, France
and Russia as a way to solve the problem calling for an expression
of will in Nagorno Karabakh with the results having a binding power)
will have the right to decide if they want to live with Azerbaijan
where the president can be reelected without limitations or in a
democracy, which they have built int the past 20 years.

In the meanwhile gas deals and other regional deals having major impact
on the European continent are waiting due to the problem. In fact
Turkey has said that the gas deal with Azerbaijan has stumbled because
of the talks with Armenia. The much heraled Nabucco project, which
was design to bring natural gas from Central Asia through Azerbaijan,
Armenia, Turkey to Europe and would provide an alternative route
bypassing Russia, are now suspended because of political reasons. Just
two hours ago Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz announced the
suspension of talks, Voice of Russia Reports.

The political reasons are the Turkey’s rapprochement with Armenia.

Turkey and Azerbaijan share many cultural and ethnic ties and
Azerbaijan is jealous with Turkey’s rapprochement with Christian
Armenia. This is where Turkey may come to help his little brother.

The announcement by the president of Armenia about the readiness to
returning the surrounding regions of Nagorno Karabakh to Azerbaijan
is a bold move and a serious step toward final resolution and peace.

However, when Azerbaijan does not respond adequately to that
announcement Turkey may want to put more effort with Azerbaijan
convincing the leadership of this tiny Caspian oil rich country
that this is the time to understand the real dynamic and show real
leadership leading the region to peace.

Turkey in the recent years always said it wanted to be part of the
conflict solution between Azerbaijan and Armenia by mediating.

However, Armenia has refused the Turkish mediation because Turkey
has declared itself a conflict side by closing its border with Armenia.

Now Turkey has a chance to play a major role and follow its media,
which keeps telling Azerbaijan to give up Nagorno Karabakh as it has
lost it forever.

"SAVE TEGHUT" TO PROTEST OUTSIDE COURT TOMORROW

201 0/03/22 | 14:04

The Save Teghut environmental group has announced that it will be
staging a protest and hunger strike outside the Administrative Court
tomorrow at 11 am in conjunction with the first trial session in which
a number of groups are seeking to stop the Armenian Copper Programme
(ACP) from operating a mine in the ecologically rich Teghut forest
in Tavush.

"Ecodar" is the environmental organization chosen by the government
to present the case of those who oppose the mine. Mariam Sukhudyan,
an environmentalist activist, has stated that the protestors want to
attract attention to the on-going case in the hope that the courts
will finally see the light and issue a stop order for the mine.

"Various laws were broken when the government gave the green light
for the Teghut mine and the cost of the damage to be caused to the
ecological system wasn’t considered," she stated.

ARMENIAN CHURCH OF SAINT GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN VLADIMIR

ArmInfo
2010-03-23 12:00:00

ArmInfo. Members of the Armenian-Russian Commission on
interparliamentary cooperation, being in Russian capital, visited
the towns of Vladimir and Suzdal.

As ArmInfo correspondent from Moscow reports, Armenian parliamentarians
and MPs of Russia’s Federal Assembly visited Vladimir-Suzdal
reserve museum in Suzdal, after which the delegations arrived in
the town of Vladimir. Parliamentarians of the Legislative Assembly
of Vladimir region and the Armenians parliamentarians met in the
House of Friendship in Vladimir. During the meeting, Head of the
Armenian delegation Aram Safaryan presented the structure of Armenia’s
National Assembly, as well as touched on the issues of the agenda of
the Armenian-Russian Commission on interparliamentary cooperation,
in particular, cooperation of the Armenian and Russian regions,
as well as the projects in economy.

In his turn, members of Russia’s Federal Assembly Igor Chernyshenko
said: "We are proud that just the Armenian-Russian interparliamentary
Commission, which is engaged in actual issues, is the most respected
commission of the Federal Assembly. Over recent years, we approached
the topic of interregional cooperation, that is a very important
benchmark as regards efficient work of our Commission", Chernyshenko
said. Representatives of the Armenian community of Vladimir were also
present at the meeting. They touched on the issue of broadcast of the
Public TV of Armenia in the town of Vladimir. As A. Safaryan said,
this issue will be solved with transfer to the digital broadcasting.

"The Armenian authorities pays much attention to the development of
telecommunications", Safaryan said and added that the indicated issue
will be solved by 2012-2013.

To note, 13,000 Armenians live in Vladimir region. The Armenian Church
of St. Gregory the Illuminator is under construction in Vladimir, on
the money of Chairman of the Board of Directors of Glavstroyzakazchik
building-investment Holding Razmik Blikyan. The ceremony of opening
of the Armenian church will be held in 2011. President of Armenia
Serzh Sargsyan and Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin the Second
will be invited to the opening ceremony.

ARMENIAN COURT TO REVIEW TEGHUT LAWSUIT TOMORROW, DEMONSTRATION PLANNED

Tert.am
22.03.10

On March 23, the RA Administrative Court will review a lawsuit drafted
by a group of environmentalists seeking to halt copper mining in
Teghut forest in northern Armenia.

The administrative court has already rejected the appeal twice before.

However, the court reviewed its decision and has now allowed only
enviornmental NGO "Ecodar" to act as plaintiff and present its case.

At 11 am tomorrow, environmental activists are calling on supporters to
join them in a peaceful demonstration in front of the court building
(at Garegin Njdeh 23 in Yerevan), according to a Facebook post by one
of the organizers. Some individuals have also decided to fast on that
day, in the name of a fair and just hearing, reads the post.

Scholar From Armenia at Fresno Start

Asbarez
Mar 19th, 2010

MARI KOSHKAKARYAN
>From Hye Sharzhoom

The Junior Faculty Development Program (JFDP) gives overseas scholars
the opportunity for professional development in the United States and
to study at an American university. Participants are selected by a
merit-based competitive process. Kristine Antonyan from Yerevan,
Armenia, demonstrated the capability to excel in the Program, and thus
was selected as a recipient of the JFDP grant for the Spring 2010
semester. She is contributing to the University by giving
presentations in different classes about economies in transition, and
about the Bologna process, which is the transformation of European
education.

Antonyan spent two days at an orientation at Kansas University, before
arriving at Fresno State. `All the participants are very vigorous,
young, and motivated faculty members in their universities. I am glad
I had a chance to get acquainted with them and gain new good friends.
I felt very happy to be selected,’ said Antonyan.

She was placed at Fresno State through her contact with Armenian
Studies Program Director Barlow Der Mugrdechian, who conducted a
Faculty Development Program at Yerevan State University, from
1999-2004. She had become familiar with some faculty who visited
Armenia and she considered Fresno State her ideal university for
placement.

A 29 years old, Antonyan graduated from Yerevan State University with
a specialty in Economics. Two years ago, her interest in economics led
her to pursue her Ph.D. from the same university. Antonyan’s interest
in improving the quality of Armenia’s educational system is based on
several factors: growing up in an family of teachers, being a young
scholar herself, and having a young child who attends school in
Yerevan.

`I will have a chance to realize my goal, to see what things are like
in the United States, and to make new connections. I plan to learn a
lot and implement what I have learned in my courses and in my
research,’ said Antonyan.

Antonyan further described why she wants to contribute to the
educational system in Armenia and why the need for development came
into effect. She commented that Armenia didn’t always have a need to
improve its educational system, but the collapse of the Soviet Union
meant a financial disaster for the educational system. Armenia was in
a struggle to find a way to save what remained of its educational
system.

Antonyan plans to sit in on various undergraduate and graduate courses
in her field of study, and to learn new ways to apply that knowledge.
She has also taken an interest in the field of educational leadership,
which will allow her to use those skills to help enhance Armenia’s
educational system.

The first thing that Antonyan liked as she stepped onto the Fresno
State campus was the friendly educational atmosphere. She also enjoyed
the fact that students are allowed to choose their own courses.
Students are given flexibility and freedom to choose their own
educational path – something she hopes Armenia can develop and implement
in their system.

Along with attending courses and giving lectures, Antonyan also is
working on writing a textbook on State Regulation of Economy that she
hopes to publish soon. She also hopes to write an article dealing with
the differences in the educational system between the United States
and Armenia.

Antonyan’s involvement with the JFDP program, and more specifically
with Fresno State, not only provide her with a glimpse of how
international educational systems differ, but also allows her to
interact with other faculty members from whom she can learn different
teaching styles.

`This program provides for professional development and the
opportunity to gain additional resources to help in her field,’ said
Armenian Studies Director and Professor Barlow Der Mugrdechian, `In
coming to Fresno State, she is also able to interact with the Armenian
community and the Armenian Studies Program.’

Antonyan has proven to be an ideal candidate for the Fulbright Program
with her desire to learn and to implement changes. Her passion for
education will allow her to grasp the important educational
developments at Fresno State and make her classroom an advanced
educational environment for her students. She will return to Yerevan
in May of this year.

Agence France Presse
March 19, 2010 Friday 8:42 PM GMT

Turkish president wins international relations prize

LONDON, March 19 2010

Turkish President Abdullah Gul has won this year’s prestigious Chatham
House prize for improving international relations, the British foreign
policy think-tank announced Friday.

Gul was named for his work in deepening Turkey’s traditional ties with
the Middle East, his efforts to mediate between fractious groups in
Iraq and for bringing together the Afghan and Pakistan leaderships
during 2009.

The think-tank also praised his efforts to reunify the divided island
of Cyprus, his role in beginning the process of reconciliation between
Turkey and Armenia and his work in bringing Turkey closer to the
European Union.

"President Gul is recognised for being a significant figure for
reconciliation and moderation within Turkey and internationally, and a
driving force behind many of the positive steps that Turkey has taken
in recent years," it said.

Chatham House, also known as the Royal Institute of International
Affairs, awards the annual prize to the statesperson considered to
have made the most significant contribution to improving international
relations that year.

Previous recipients are Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva,
who won it last year, and John Kufuor, then president of Ghana, who
won in 2008.

Gul will be invited to London later this year to collect the award.

news.am, Armenia
March 20 2010

Who are you, Mr. Erdogan?

13:59 / 03/20/2010 Erdogan is a man of strong words, while two of three
are pretty good, the third one messes things up, reads the article by
Mustafa Akyol in Turkish Hurriyet Daily News. The author calls the
Premier’s recent statement about deportation of 100.000 illegal
Armenians living and working in Turkey `something just terrible’.

According to Akyol, Turkish Premier is quite a vagrant politician yet
being illiberal to criticism in media. Scalping `fascist mentality’ he
strangely voices statements about deportation.

The author tries to reveal Erdogan’s true colors, saying that seeking
for Islamist dictatorship under the cover of democratization he wants
to have Turkey an EU state or something akin to it.

In conclusion, the journalist quotes `Turkey’s most prominent Armenian
intellectual’ Etyen Mahcupyan, whose article published in Taraf daily
says, `Most people look at the reformism of the AKP, compare it with
other parties, and give the government more credit than what it
deserves. But the AKP is a result of liberalization rather than being
its driving force. On the other hand, it has the blocks, worries,
fears, and the state reflexes caused by its position as the governing
party in Turkey. That’s why its attitude on the Armenian issue is
increasingly falling behind the ethical norms of the Muslim camp¦
[Yet] as Turkey’s Muslims build the self-confidence to face
themselves, the dullness of the party which represent them will also
decrease.’