Author: Khondkarian Raffi

ARMENIA TO SET HIGHER PENALTIES FOR COMPANIES BREAKING LA WON FAIR COMPETITION

ARKA
May 20, 2010
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, May 20, /ARKA/. Artak Shaboyan, chairman of Armenia’s
anti-trust body, said Wednesday Armenia’s law on economic competition
protection is lenient towards companies breaking the law on fair
competition.

Speaking at a meeting of the State Commission for Protection of
Economic Competition he said the legislation would be toughened setting
higher penalties for breaching companies. He said together with World
Bank experts they are revising the relating Armenian law to make it
comply with international standards which set much harder penalties. He
said also the proposed changes to the Armenian law offer much higher
penalties and other responsibility measures for unfair competition.

Under the current law a company violating the law is fined in the
amount of 2% of its turnover in the previous year, but the penalty
can not exceed 300 million Drams. ($1 – 384.56 Drams).

AMBASSADOR OF CHINA IN PARLIAMENT

National Assembly
parliament.am
May 21 2010
Armenia

On May 21 the Vice Speaker of RA National Assembly, the Head of
Armenia-China Parliamentary Friendship Group Mrs. Arevik Petrosyan
received the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the
People’s Republic of China to the RA Tian Changchun.

Greeting the guest the RA NA Vice Speaker Mrs. A. Petrosyan
congratulated Mr. Changchun on the occasion of his appointment in
the post of Ambassador, wishing success and effective activities
for the benefit of strengthening and developing the relations
between Armenia and China. In his turn, the Ambassador thanked
for warm reception. He noted that being the Head of Armenia-China
Parliamentary Friendship Group Mrs. Arevik Petrosyan paid special
attention to the Armenian-Chinese relations and had her significant
contribution in the development of those relations. According to the
Ambassador’s assessment, the inter-parliamentary relations between
China and Armenia are rather active, which also promote the activation
of the relations in other spheres.

The RA NA Vice Speaker Mrs. A. Petrosyan ensured that the Ambassador
would have the support of the NA Armenia-China Parliamentary
Friendship Group in the development and strengthening of bilateral
relations. The RA NA Vice Speaker stressed that the high level of
political dialogue and mutual visits established between the two
countries, the consecutive enlargement and deepening of cooperation
in all spheres of public-political, economic and cultural life
promote the enhancement and development of mutual understanding,
the activation of the Armenian and Chinese peoples’ contacts.

YEREVAN TO HOST OUR HOUSE SPECIALIZED EXHIBITION

PanARMENIAN.Net
May 19, 2010 – 14:47 AMT 09:47 GMT

On May 27-29, Yerevan will host Our House 9th international specialized
exhibition, a significant event in the business life of Armenia,
with the number of participants increasing year after year.

The exhibition includes the following categories: Building,
construction, renovation; World of furniture; Windows and doors;
Building materials and techniques; System of gas and heating services,
energy supply; Conditioning and heating system; Domestic appliances;
Paint and varnish production, household chemicals; Mortgage lending,
insurance, real estate.

Our House exhibition was first held in 2002, with a purpose to
facilitate search of new partners and expansion of sales markets
for each company participating in the it. The exhibition offers an
opportunity to exchange experience and establish new contacts between
producers and consumers, as well as to study the construction market
of Armenia.

Organized in partnership with the RA Ministry of Urban Development,
Yerevan Mayor’s Office and Armenian Development Agency, Our House
exhibition brings together major Armenian and foreign companies
operating in construction industry.

PLANS FOR NEW UN SANCTIONS AGAINST IRAN CIRCULATED AMONG 15 MEMBERS OF SECURITY COUNCIL

PanARMENIAN.Net
May 19, 2010 – 18:14 AMT 13:14 GMT

Plans for a fourth set of UN sanctions against Iran over its nuclear
programme are being circulated among all 15 members of the Security
Council.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the five veto-wielding
members had agreed on a "strong" draft resolution.

The measures foresee cargo ship inspections and new banking controls.

They come despite a recent deal in which Iran agreed to send
low-enriched uranium to Turkey in return for enriched fuel for a
research reactor.

But Mrs Clinton suggested Iran had been trying to deflect pressure.

For U.S. officials the core issue was that Iran intended to continue
enriching uranium, which the UN has banned.

The Turkish deal, which Brazil helped to negotiate on Monday, was
similar to one proposed by the West and its allies last year.

The members of the Security Council, which includes Turkey and Brazil,
were holding a session behind closed doors on the resolution, but
Brazil reportedly said it would not discuss the draft "at this point".

The U.S. is quite confident of getting a majority of Council members
behind the resolution although it may not get unanimity. The vote is
expected in June. The sanctions are not as strong as Western states
would have wanted and some proposals were watered down by Russia
and China.

Russia’s UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin described the draft resolution as
"well balanced".

"That’s why we agreed to accept the text on the whole after the long
discussions and corrections of the initial proposals and we find it
to be an appropriate one," Mr Churkin was quoted as saying by Russia’s
Itar-Tass news agency.

There have been three rounds of UN sanctions against Iran, blocking
trade of "sensitive nuclear material", freezing the financial assets
of those involved in Iran’s nuclear activities, banning all of Iran’s
arms exports and encouraging scrutiny of the dealings of Iranian banks.

The U.S. and its Western allies fear that Iran is secretly trying
to build a nuclear bomb. Tehran says its program is aimed solely at
peaceful energy use, BBC News reported.

‘AZERBAIJAN HAS RIGHT TO PROTECT ITS TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY’

news.az
May 18 2010
Azerbaijan

Polad Bulbuloglu With collapse of the USSR independent Azerbaijan
faced with aggression and occupation of 20% of its territory by
Armenia envoy, Polad Bulbuloglu said.

The Azerbaijani ambassador to Russia Polad Bulbuloglu spoke at the
event dedicated to Azerbaijan’s contribution to the Victory in Great
Patriotic War.

An event devoted to Azerbaijan’s contribution to the Victory in the
Great Patriotic War was held at the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian
Foreign Ministry under support of the Azerbaijani embassy on May 17.

Addressing the gathering, Ambassador Polad Bulbuloglu stressed the
importance of this meeting, pointing to the need to inform the younger
generation of the truth about history.

The Ambassador noted with regret that with the collapse of the USSR
independent Azerbaijan faced with aggression and occupation of 20%
of its territory by Armenia. The ambassador stressed that Azerbaijan
has an inalienable right to defend the homeland, while demonstrating
commitment to the soonest settlement of the conflict through
international efforts, in which Russia plays one of the leading roles.

He also spoke about the current high level of mutually advantageous
relations between Azerbaijan and Russia on strategic inputs.

CZECH PRIME MINISTER ARRIVING IN ARMENIA TODAY

armradio.am
17.05.2010 10:34

The delegation led by Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer is arriving
in Armenia today for a two-day working visit.

The Prime Minister of the Czech Republic will attend an Armenian-Czech
business forum, followed by meetings with Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan, Catholicos of All Armenians, His Holiness Garegin II,
National Assembly Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan and Prime Minister Tigran
Sargsyan.

Jan Fischer is also scheduled to pay a visit to the memorial complex
of Tsitsernakaberd and lay a wreath to monument of the Armenian
Genocide victims.

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
May 15 2010

Ã?avuÅ?oÄ?lu vows to be objective on Nagorno-Karabakh

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) President
Mevlüt Ã?avuÅ?oÄ?lu said he will be objective in his approach to the
Nagorno-Karabakh dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia, during a
two-day visit to the Armenian capital of Yerevan.

Ã?avuÅ?oÄ?lu told a news conference on Thursday that he did not want to
comment on previous speeches slamming Armenia for occupying 20 percent
of Azerbaijani territory that he made at PACE sessions while head of
the Turkish delegation. He said for him, all 47 members of the Council
of Europe are equal and that he would retain his objectivity as he has
in many matters.
Ã?avuÅ?oÄ?lu rejected allegations that he could not be neutral as the
head of PACE because he is a Turkish politician. He said he has a
reputation of being one of the most unbiased parliamentary delegates
and that it was due to that reputation that he was elected PACE
president.

When asked why he did not want to visit the memorial commemorating the
victims of the 1915 incidents, Ã?avuÅ?oÄ?lu noted that his predecessors
did not visit the site, either.

`There is no provision in the regulations that would require the
[PACE] president to visit one place or another. When I look at the
official agenda of the visits of my predecessors, Luis Maria de Puig
and Rede Van der Linden, I see that they did not visit that place
during their visits to Armenia, either,’ Ã?avuÅ?oÄ?lu said, adding that
it was his personal decision not to visit, which he said must be
respected.

During his trip to Armenia, the PACE president met with Armenian
President Serzh Sarksyan, with whom he discussed the reform process
and democratization in Armenia, the Armenian press reported. He also
reportedly met with Parliament Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan and
parliamentary groups. Extreme right-wing opposition Dashnaktsutyun
boycotted the meeting over Ã?avuÅ?oÄ?lu’s refusal to visit the `genocide’
memorial.

15 May 2010, Saturday
TODAY’S ZAMAN Ä°STANBUL

HAAF IMPLEMENTS $4,2 BILLION PROJECTS IN 2009

Aysor
May 14 2010
Armenia

In 2009, the Hayastan All-Armenian Foundation, which is holding its
19th session of the Board of Trustees in Yerevan, implemented a range
of projects in Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia, total cost of which are
estimated to be $4,2 billion.

At the session the HAAF screened a film about the activities and
implemented programs, reviewing the restoration works, which were
carried out in a range of schools in Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. In
addition the schools were furnished, and equipped with computer
centers.

The Foundation also assisted to the health programs; in particular,
it donated to projects, aiming at building of hospitals in Armenia
and Nagorno Karabakh.

Among other activities, the HAAF carried out monetary assistance to
the families of the killed and wounded veterans of the Karabakh war;
a great attention was paid to the WAS – which is an issue of vital
importance to Artsakh, as Bako Sahakian, the Artsakh President,
said in his speech to the Board of Trustees.

MINISTER NALBANDIAN WELCOMES ADOPTION OF THE ASSOCIATION AGREEMENT

armradio.am
13.05.2010 12:16

"We welcome the adoption by the General Affairs Council on 10 May
of the negotiating directives for the future Association Agreements
between the EU and Armenia.

This opens a way for launching a dialogue on establishment of relations
of new quality between Armenia and the European Union.

The contacts between Brussels and Yerevan get more active and we’ll
hold more intensive negotiations with EU leaders.

This is good news ahead of Armenian President’s visit to Brussels,
which will provide an opportunity to hold practical talks with the
leadership of the European Union."

A FAIRYTALE LIBRARY TO BE DESIGNED IN HOVH. TUMANYAN MUSEUM

ARMENPRESS
MAY 12, 2010
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, MAY 12, ARMENPRESS: A library of fairytales will be designed
in 2010 in Hovhannes Tumanyan Museum. Director of the museum Narine
Tukhikyan told Armenpress that for obtaining books for the fairytale
library negotiations are already running with all the embassies. And
they have already managed to receive many books of fairytales from
Ireland and Syria. "This library must become a gathering place for
all the fairytale writers, heroes and lovers of fairytales throughout
the world," N. Tukhikyan said adding that a fairytale museum is also
intended to open inside the library.

N. Tukhikyan expressed wish to concentrate in the museum and
coordinate the works of the researchers and scientists engaged in
fairytale studies in Armenia, and to come out to the international
area becoming a partner to the world structures engaged in this sphere.

"We are obliged to organize annual scientific conferences, workshops,
exhibitions, festivals of fairytale, contests of illuminations, as
well as to study the children’s books from Tumanyan personal library,
in some cases to republish them and translate," N. Tukhikyan said
adding that the museum is also obliged to publish a magazine about
fairytale studies. "It will be an unprecedented initiative from the
inter-cultural viewpoint," N. Tukhikyan said.