Author: Kamalian Hagop

AZERI PRESIDENT INVITED HIMSELF TO NATO SUMMIT

PanARMENIAN.Net
26.03.2009 21:05 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Neither of NATO Partner Countries, including Armenia
or Azerbaijan were invited to participate in NATO 60th Anniversary
Summit due on Apr. 3-4 in Strasburg, Köln and Baden-Baden, RA MFA
told PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. 26 NATO Member States will participate
in the 60th Anniversary Summit.

"Azerbaijan got so entangled in misinformation, that it invited itself
to NATO summit," RA MFA noted.

Earlier Bakililar.AZ circulated information about Azeri president
Ilham Aliev’s participation in NATO Summit.

CREDIT AGRICOLE TO CONTINUE COOPERATION WITH ARMENIA DESPITE THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS

ArmInfo
2009-03-26 18:19:00

Despite the tangible impact of the global financial crisis, the French
banking group Credit Agricole will continue cooperation with Armenia,
Jean-Luc Perron, the banking group’s responsible person for Europe said
during March 26 meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan,
the governmental press-release says.

This opinion was also confirmed by other representatives of the French
group. The guests qualified the mutual relations between the Central
Bank of Armenia, Credit Agricole Group and ACBA-Credit Agricole
Bank as guarantees of successful cooperation. Tigran Sargsyan said
Credit Agricole representatives’ visit during the global financial
crisis proves the further intention to continue the cooperation. He
pointed out that the Armenian banking system managed to resist the
first negative impact of the global financial crisis.

To recall, according to the Ranking of Commercial Banks of Armenia
prepared by the Agency of Rating Marketing Information (ArmInfo),
as of January 1, 2009, ACBA-Credit Agricole Bank holds the leading
positions by the main indices. The majoritary stakeholder of the bank
has been the French banking group Credit Agricole since 2006.

EUROPEAN LAWMAKERS AGAINST INVITING BELARUS LEADER TO MAY SUMMIT

RIA Novosti
12:27 | 27/ 03/ 2009
BRUSSELS

European Parliament members have objected to plans to invite the
president of Belarus to a summit of EU and ex-Soviet states, citing
his failure to end human rights violations, a spokesman said on Friday.

The EU has been seeking to mend ties with Belarus, and earlier
this month prolonged the suspension of a travel ban that had been
imposed on President Alexander Lukashenko. At the last EU summit,
on March 19-20 in Brussels, Belarus was included in the EU’s Eastern
Partnership project with ex-Soviet republics.

However, the European Parliament spokesman told RIA Novosti that during
a plenary session in Strasbourg, the majority of members spoke out
against inviting Lukashenko to the May 7 Eastern Partnership summit
in Prague.

The Eastern Partnership project, which aims to improve human rights
and rule of law in former Soviet states, and to strengthen their
ties with the EU, also includes Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova
and Ukraine.

The ban on Alexander Lukashenko entering EU countries was
imposed in 2006 in protest against election fraud and human rights
violations. However, the 27-nation bloc suspended the ban last October,
after several political prisoners were freed in Belarus.

Opposition protests held in the Belarusian capital on Wednesday
attracted attention for the unusual restraint shown by the city’s
riot police. Previous protests in Minsk have resulted in mass arrests
and beatings.

However, one rights group said several activists had been arrested
before the start of the rally, which went ahead in central Minsk
despite official instructions to gather in a park outside the center.

Ruslan Basiev involved in Armenian team

A1+
12:52 pm | March 25, 2009 | Sports

Seven Armenian freestyle wrestlers will leave for Vilnius to
participate in the March 31 European championship. For the first time
the team will be headed by the coach Arayik Baghdasaryan.

Armenian freestyle wrestlers have scored bad results in international
arenas in recent years. Armenia was unable to win a medal in 2008. The
team’s ongoing failures made the coach Hrant Yenokyan resign in the
autumn of 2008.

This year the team features Mihran Jaburyan (55 kg), Arthur Arakelyan
(60 kg), Jirayr Hovhannisyan (66 kg), Suren Markosyan (74 kg),
Harutyun Yenokyan (84 kg), Edgar Yenokyan (96 kg) and Ruslan Basiev
(120 kg). The latter has been invited from the Russian Federation.

V. MANUKIAN SAYS THE PUBLIC COUNCIL TO HAVE A GREAT ROLE FOR THE FUTURE OF THE COUNTRY

ARMENPRESS
MARCH 25, 2009
YEREVAN

"On behalf of Public council a new institution is being established
in Armenia which will have a great importance for the future of the
country",- during today’s first press conference the coordinator of
the activity of 12 members of the public council Vazgen Manukian said.

According to his assessment, the Armenian president has made a
brave step establishing a new institution in Armenia. It will be
a consultation body affiliated to the Armenian president. After
some time the institution will prove the public that it is able to
settle issues. At that time there will be a necessity to set its
activity not by the president’s decree but by the law, and later it
may probably have a necessity to fix the activity of the institution
by the Constitution.

He informed that changes are prepared in the regulations of NA and the
government, in which it will be fixed that the public council can send
its representative on mission on each issue, who may deliver a speech,
present the opinion of the council and influence on making decisions.

The public council is not yet fully established. According to the
charter it consists of 36 people: the first 12 people have already
been appointed by the Armenian president, the next 12 are selected
by the public, the third 12 people are selected by already selected
and appointed 24 members.

After the public council has fully been formed the Armenian president
will appoint head of the institution. According to the charter the
12 people appointed by the president are tasked to form commissions
in 12 different spheres, which must themselves elect a president who
will automatically become members of the council.

By April 18 commission must be established in which exclusively
representatives of NGOs will be involved.

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE: TANER AKCAM IS ASKING OBAMA TO STAND FOR TRUTH

PanARMENIAN.Net
25.03.2009 00:51 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Prominent Turkish-born genocide scholar Taner
Akcam delivered his inaugural lecture at Clark University titled,
"Facing History: Denial and the Turkish National Security Concept",
The Armenian Weekly reports. In 2008, Akcam was appointed the Robert
Aram and Marianne Kaloosdian and Stephen and Marion Mugar Chair in
Armenian Genocide Studies at Clark University.

Speaking to an audience that had packed the Tilton Hall of the Higgins
University Center, Akcam sent a powerful message to U.S. President
Barack Obama, asking him to liberate Turks and Armenians by properly
recognizing the Armenian Genocide.

Talking about the reluctance of Congress and some former
U.S. presidents to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, Akcam said,
"There’s an ongoing theatrical drama–perhaps ‘comedy’ would be
a better term–that all the parties engage in every year, and
that has started to grow old. It’s time to end this dishonorable
play-acting." He explained how every time a U.S. president or Congress
has the issue of the genocide on their table, "They end up denying
for one day what they believe the other 364 days of the year."

Akcam continued, "All of the parties involved know very well what the
U.S. administration and Congress think about 1915. But Turkey asks them
to tell a lie only for one day. I have never understood why the Turkish
government extracts so much joy out of making the United States lie
for one day. I also find it completely dishonorable. Not only does this
lie fail to lead to a resolution, it needlessly locks up the debate."

Hence, Akcam argued, the importance of official U.S. recognition of
the Armenian Genocide–"if the United States declares what it believes
to be the truth and stands behind it"–would not only gain it "some
self-respect on the subject, but it will liberate Turks, Armenians,
and itself in the process."

Akcam ended his lecture by asking Obama to stand up for truth. "I
believe that we will enter a new era where morality and real politic
will not be considered mutually exclusive, if President Obama should
put an end to this lingering problem and liberate everybody in the
process by an official acknowledgment of genocide," he said.

Obama, both as a Senator and a presidential candidate, was an outspoken
advocate for proper U.S. reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide. He
repeatedly called on former president George W. Bush to recognize the
genocide and expressed reservations over the firing of U.S. Ambassador
to Armenia John Marshall Evans for his remarks recognizing that
crime. In January 2008, Obama issued a campaign statement, noting that
"America deserves a leader who speaks truthfully about the Armenian
Genocide and responds forcefully to all genocides. I intend to be
that President."

Last week, Representatives Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), George Radanovich
(R-Calif.), Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), and Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) were
joined by 70 of their House Colleagues in the introduction of
Armenian Genocide legislation (H.Res.252) calling on the president
to recognize the Armenian Genocide. That resolution is identical to
the one introduced in the previous Congress, which was adopted by
the House Foreign Affairs Committee by a vote of 27 to 21, and had
over 200 co-sponsors.

ARARATBANK STARTS PERFORMING MONEY ORDERS THROUGH MONEY GRAM SYSTEM

ArmInfo
2009-03-23 14:03:00

ArmInfo. ARARATBANK has started carrying out the first money orders
through the international payment system Money Gram, press service of
ARARATBANK told ArmInfo. To recall, the Central Bank of Armenia allowed
ARARATBANK to take part in Money Gram system on December 16, 2008.

According to the source data, ARARATBANK extends its participation in
different international payments systems and offers a wide spectrum
of services to its clients. The bank carries out money orders not
only in the head office but also in all its 25 branches. Moreover,
the bank has created a specialized branch on Mashtots Avenue 25 for
the Money Gram system orders.

According to the source, the bank has become a member and
representative of Express Money international system two months
ago. ARARATBANK carries out money orders also through the Quick Post,
Anelik, Migom, Blizko, BTF- Union, Private money, Averse systems.

Money Gram system is functioning in 180 countries of the world and
has 160,000 service points. The system in CIS countries has 13400
service points.

News of Science
March 22, 2009

PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY;
Research conducted at A.H. Poghosyan and co-researchers has updated
our knowledge about physical chemistry

"We have performed a 50 ns of molecular dynamics study of
poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC)/sodium dodecyl
sulfate (SDS)/decanol/water systems. The influence of the cationic
polyelectrolyte on the anionic SDS-based lamellar liquid crystalline
system was investigated," scientists writing in the Journal of
Physical Chemistry B report.

"The main structural parameters have been calculated and compared with
experimental data. We obtain two types of PDADMAC conformation, a more
folded structure A and a structure B where the PDADMAC molecule is
adsorbed at the anionic head groups of the surfactant molecules,"
wrote A.H. Poghosyan and colleagues.

The researchers concluded: "The polyelectrolyte-induced coexistence of
two lamellar phases at a concentration of 2-3% of PDADMAC is observed,
which is in agreement with experimental findings."

Poghosyan and colleagues published their study in the Journal of
Physical Chemistry B (Molecular Dynamics Study of
Poly(Diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC)/Sodium Dodecyl
Sulfate (SDS)/Decanol/Water Systems. Journal of Physical Chemistry B,
2009;113(5):1303-1310).

Additional information can be obtained by contacting A.H. Poghosyan,
National Academy Science, International Science Education Center, M
Baghramyan Avenue 24D, Yerevan 0019, Armenia.

The publisher of the Journal of Physical Chemistry B can be contacted
at: American Chemical Society, 1155 16th St., NW, Washington, DC
20036, USA.

Prime Minister of Armenia: anti-crisis program of Armenian government
has three main directions

2009-03-20 18:53:00

ArmInfo. The anti-crisis program submitted by the Armenian Government
to the Parliament Nov 14 2008 has three main directions, Prime Minister
of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan said during a meeting with leaders of
political parties today.

The first direction is implementation of infrastructure projects,
second – support of companies experiencing temporary difficulties and
third support of small and medium-sized business. "We are planning a
number of measures to curb growth in prices and to increase budgetary
receipts from big companies. This will require constant external audit
of big companies, raise in fixed payments for casinos, toghening of
requirements to the issue of sale slips," Sargsyan said.

All of these measures have been developed through a dialogue with
businessmen. The government will be open to all concerned parties and
will introduce effective mechanisms of public monitoring of the
anti-crisis program. As the global economic situation will be changing
the program will need relevant revisions and the government is ready to
accept new proposals and constructive remarks.

RA PRIME MINISTER TIGRAN SARGSYAN RECEIVED HAIK ALOYAN, DIRECTOR GENERAL OF GEOTEAM LTD

Thursday , 19 March 2009

RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan received Haik Aloyan, director
general of Geoteam Ltd., registered in the Republic of Armenia
as economic entity involved in geological survey and prospecting
activities, Brian Levett, regional director of the US-based Newmont
Mining Corporation, a company stakeholder and a worldwide leader
in the field of gold mining, as well as Head of the World Bank’s
International Financial Corporation Armenia office Nerces Karamanukyan.

The guests briefed the Prime Minister on the Company activities
implemented in Armenia since 2006, including the works carried out in
Syunik and Vayotz Dzor marzes, as well as on the future plans. They
said that as result of said activities, a new type of gold deposit has
been identified in Vayotz Dzor (Amulsar), which offers good prospects
for exploration and mining. The Director General of Geoteam further
advised that sizeable investment will be available as soon as the
Company has the needed license from the government.

Brian Levett and Nerces Karamanukyan stressed that their investment
programs allow for the tackling of social-economic and environmental
development problems in the marz.

Appreciative of those activities realized so far in our country,
as well as of Geoteam’s commitment to exploit the gold deposit
of20Amulsar, Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan wished them every success
with the implementation of the programs ahead.