Author: Jilavian Emma

ARMENIAN DEPUTY FM MEETS SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE EUROPEAN MOVEMENT INTERNATIONAL

armradio.am
10.11.2009 15:23

On November 10 the Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia, Karine
Ghazinyan, received Diogo Pinto, Secretary General of the European
Movement International.

Greeting the guest, Deputy Minister Ghazinyan rated highly the
contribution of the European Movement International to the spread of
European values and creation of a united Europe.

For his part, Diogo Pinto attached importance to Armenia’s consistency
in the process of integration with European structures, emphasizing
the role of the European Armenian Movement in the spread of European
values.

The interlocutors exchanged views on the EU Eastern Partnership
Program, noting that it possesses a great potential for the cooperation
between the EU and the countries included in the program and the
multilateral regional cooperation. In this context Karine Ghazinyan
stressed that the program provides a good opportunity for Armenia to
come closer to European family

During the meeting reference was made to the process of normalization
of the Armenian-Turkish relations, as well as on a number of regional
and international issues.

ARMENIA TO ATTRACT CREDITS?

news.am
Nov 10 2009
Armenia

A 15% economic decline will be registered in Armenia this year, Gagik
Minasyan, Chairman of the Standing Committee on Finance, Credit and
Budgetary Policy, RA Parliament, told a press conference. "9.2 per cent
economic growth was forecast for this year, but we have registered
an 18 per cent decline due to the economic crisis. We plan to close
this year with a 15% decline," Minasyan said.

Some economic growth is expected next year, but the forecasts may
prove false. "The analyses show that Armenia has reached the bottom
of economic decline, but, unfortunately, we cannot make forecasts
about economic growth," Minasyan said.

Nevertheless, Minasyan said that 1.2% economic growth is possible next
year. The reason for the optimistic forecasts is credit investments.

The Armenian Government has allocated funds to the construction and
mining industries from the attracted credits. The revival of the
industries will produce a beneficial effect on the other industries,
Minasyan said.

He said that Armenia’s foreign national debt will reach U.S. $3bn this
year, and U.S. $3.5bn next year. "Armenia is negotiating to attract
credits now," Minasyan said, without naming the lending agency. He
also pointed out that the unallowable limit of national debt is 50%,
but Armenia has not yet reached it.

In submitting the 2010 draft budget to Parliament, RA Minister of
Finance Tigran Davtyan stated that Armenia will not borrow credits
in 2010, as it has borrowed a sufficient amount of funds.

ARMENIA TO INTRODUCE A TWO-TIER PENSION SYSTEM IN 2011

PanARMENIAN.Net
10.11.2009 17:21 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia will introduce a two-tier pension system in
2011, the chairman of the Central Bank of Armenia Artur Javadyan said,
addressing the "10th meeting of heads of government agencies regulating
CIS countries’ security markets" opened November 10 in Tsakhkadzor.

The Central Bank of Armenia presides over the meeting this year.

According to a press-release of the Central Bank, the activities of
investment and pension funds will be regulated in frames of the laws
"On Investment Funds" and "Funded Pensions", which are elaborated now.

According to Artur Javadyan, after reforms the financial market of
Armenia will become more attractive to new players.

OPENING OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH BORDER TO CONTRIBUTE TO REGIONAL TOURISM DEVELOPMENT

ArmInfo
2009-11-09 14:00:00

ArmInfo. Opening of the Armenian-Turkish border will contribute to
the regional tourism development, Head of the Tourism Department of
Armenia’s Ministry of Economy Mekhak Apresyan told journalists today.

He thinks that the regional tour packages may be of high demand with
the border opening, since the tourists from far countries prefer to
visit several countries at once when visiting one region. ‘Opening
of the border contributes to both economic development in general
and development of tourism in particular’, M. Apresyan emphasized.

Moreover, he said that not only the internal tourism but also the
external one will win from the border opening. "I do not consider
development of the external tourism a negative phenomenon, especially
as the inflow of tourists to Armenia much exceeds the outflow",
he said.

According to the data of the National Statisitcal Service of Armenia,
422807 tourists visited Armenia in Jan-Sep, 2009, that exceeds
the indicator of the similar period, 2008 by 5,8%. Total of 396560
people left Armenia as tourists over the same period, that exceeds
the indicator of Jan-Sep, 2008, by 1,2%.

NEWLY APPOINTED AMBASSADOR OF GEORGIA HANDS HIS CREDENTIALS TO RA PRESIDENT

Noyan Tapan
Nov 9, 2009

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 9, NOYAN TAPAN. Newly appointed Ambassador of Georgia
to RA Grigol Tabatadze handed his credentials to RA President Serzh
Sargsyan on November 6.

According to RA President’s Press Office, congratulating the Ambassador
on the occasion of assuming his position S. Sargsyan said: "We have
passed a very long historic way and our former relations oblige us
to become closer friends and to cooperate more closely.

Certainly, the current level of our relations is very high but they
need permanent attention and perfection. Therefore the ambassadors
of our states should work very intensively. I think we have not used
the whole potential of our relations and we can open new prospects
of cooperation."

According to G. Tabatadze, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili
attaches importance to development of relations with Armenia and
considers that there is no alternative to friendship and cooperation.

The interlocutors agreed that there are no problems between the two
countries that cannot be solved through joint discussions and dialogue.

ARP HASN’T DECIDED YET WHOM TO SUPPORT

Aysor
Nov 9 2009
Armenia

The Armenian Republican Party (ARP) has not decided yet whom he will
support for the vacant place in the Armenian National Assembly in
coming elections, stated Lernik Aleksanyan, the member of the NA ARP.

"The Republican Party has not taken decision as there has not been
any sitting yet", – the speaker said.

On December 6 in the electoral departments N 8 and N 25 will take
place elections of NA. In the department N 8 will be offered Koryun
Nahapetyan, in N 25 Mkhitar Harutyunyan.

For the elections of 2010 on January 10 in the 10th electoral
department will be suggested the head of the Marxist Party Davit
Hakobyan, former minister of communication Edward Madatyan,
political scientist Hmayak Hovhannisyan, and Vladimir Kostanyan,
and Ara Simonyan.

‘NOT ARMENIA THAT MUST GO TO GLOBAL COMPANIES, BUT MAJOR COMPANIES MUST COME TO ARMENIA’: TIGRAN SARGSYAN SPEAKS AT ARMTECH GALA

Tert
Nov 9 2009
Armenia

ArmTech Congress ’09, the third Global Armenian High Tech Industry &
Business Conference, was held under the patronage of the Prime Minister
of the Republic of Armenia on November 5-8, 2009, in California’s
Silicon Valley.

Distinguished keynote speakers included Honorable Joe Simitian,
California State Senator (U.S.); Areg Galstyan, Deputy Minister of
Energy and Natural Resources (Republic of Armenia); Pegor Papazian,
CEO, National Competitiveness Foundation of Armenia; Daniel M.

Mahoney, President and CEO, Renesas Technology America, Inc. (U.S.);
and Gregory K. Hinckley, President of Mentor Graphics, Inc.(U.S.).

Sargsyan, speaking at the conference’s evening gala at Fairmont Hotel
San Jose, said that during his stay in Silicon Valley, it became
clear it is necessary to make changes to RA government projects in
the area of internet technology. "They grew outdated over the time we
were trying to implement them," the prime minister stated. It turns
out that we have to refresh, an opportunity which ArmTech provides.

Secondly, during our meetings with a major company an idea was proposed
that, firstly, made me astonished, that it’s not Armenia that must
go to global companies, but rather, major companies must come to
Armenia. The world is becoming very small, and global companies are
competing there. There are no longer any free places."

The prime minister emphasized the third conclusion: "The competition
among the world’s global companies is not in finding a place in the
present market, since there is no more free space. Moreover, all the
spaces in the future market too are occupied, which makes the Blue
Ocean Strategy very timely, since all those territories where we try
to position ourselves are occupied today and tomorrow. We are late:
this means we must find our ocean, our space, where we will have
our relative advantage." The prime minister considered the question
"What is Armenia’s place in the future world?" to be pivotal. "No
global company thinks [about this], other than us; they think about
their own business. And ArmTech must provide assistance in finding
the answer to the question."

In the context of the meetings and discussions held recently, Sargsyan
also referred to the Armenian world: "The Armenian world is a reality.

The rapidly changing and diminishing world showed that. It is not
the formation of the Armenian world that should interest us, since
it exists, but its future: what changes we must undergo, how we must
change the Armenian world’s traditional structures, our country."

As announced by the Republic of Armenia government, the prime minister
referred to the Armenian Genocide, Armenia-Diaspora cooperation,
and major issues related to Armenian-Turkish relations, as well
as presenting Armenia’s position and the Armenian’s president’s
initiatives directed toward the establishment of the relations.

SO WOULD WASHINGTON HOLD ERDOGAN?

Aysor
Nov 6 2009
Armenia

Commission for External Relations of Turkish Parliament will give a
positive conclusion of the Armenian-Turkish protocols, says secretary
of the Parliamentary Faction of the Republican Party of Armenia, Eduard
Sharmazanov. Meanwhile, officials announced that U.S. President Obama
would hold meeting with Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
on December, 7 – the same day when conclusion on Armenian-Turkish
protocols is expected.

"I believe that Turkey’s Parliament will give a positive conclusion
otherwise Erdogan-Obama meeting wouldn’t be held," said Eduard
Sharmazanov adding that "it is a logical step, not precondition"
that Armenia will hold ratification of Armenian-Turkish protocols
after Turkey.

According to politician, Turkey issued ultimatums to Armenia after
closing the border in 1993 while Armenia has wide rights to do the
same on recognition of Genocide.

"From the basis that the 21st century and closed borders are
incompatible, Armenia normalise relations with Turkey without
preconditions. That is why there is logic to ratify the protocols
after Turkey," he said.

THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE TO FRIENDSHIP AND COOPERATION BETWEEN ARMENIA AND GEORGIA

armradio.am
06.11.2009 15:57

The newly appointed Ambassador of Georgia to Armenia, Grigol Tabatadze
presented his credential to President Serzh Sargsyan. Congratulating
the Ambassador on assuming office, President Sargsyan said: "We
have passed a long historic way, and our previous relations make us
cooperate more closely. The current level of our relations is very
high, but the ties need constant attention and improvement. That is
why the Ambassadors of our countries must work more intensively. I
think we do not make full use of the existing potential and we can
open new perspectives of cooperation."

According to Ambassador Tabatadze, President Saakashvili of Georgia
also attaches great importance to the development of relations
with friendly Armenia and considers that there is no alternative to
friendship and cooperation.

President Sargsyan and Ambassador Tabatadze agreed that there are
no problems between the two countries that cannot be solved through
discussions and dialogue.

Serzh Sargsyan voiced hope that the newly appointed Ambassador would
contribute to the deepening of bilateral ties in different spheres.

ARMENIA’S MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE WELCOMES EXPORT OF SHEEP FROM COUNTRY

ArmInfo
2009-11-05 15:52:00

ArmInfo. About 70,000 sheep or about 10% of the whole livestock have
been exported from Armenia since early 2009, Armenia’s Minister of
Agriculture Gerasim Alaverdyan said at Thursday press-conference.

According to him, the average selling price of one sheep made up
about 30,000 drams ($78 at the current rate). The minister also
said that the Armenian sheep are exported mainly to Iran, Syria
and UAE. ‘This is an ecologically clean product, that causes these
countries’ interest. Export is a serious stimulus for development of
cattle breeding in the republic, and I welcome it’, the minister said.