Author: Nahapetian Lilit

ONE MORE DEMOCRATIC LIBERAL PARTY WAS CREATED

Aravot
June 20 2009
Armenia

Yesterday at the Tekeyan Cultural Centre a founding meeting of
the Armenakan-Ramkavar Azatakan (Armenakan Democratic Liberal)
party was held which was a closed event for reporters. Asked by
Aravot newspaper how could the party’s founding meeting be closed,
Azg editor Hakob Avetikyan, who was present at the meeting, said:
"It was not a closed meeting, it was simply a working meeting therefore
media was not invited."

Our further conversation clarified that Avetikyan was present at
the meeting as a Democratic Liberal party (DLP) representative –
"simply it belongs to the same ideology therefore I am present here
and I welcome it". We learned that the initiative group comprised
Azg daily analyst Armen Manvelyan, Gayane Muradyan and other people
whose names we could not find out. In an interview with Aravot, Armen
Manvelyan assured that they did not act in a closed and confidential
mode, that everything was public and even a press release would be
distributed at yesterday’s closed meeting. Asked to what extent the
rumours (which, in particular, "competitor" DLP is spreading) that
the Armenakan Democratic Liberal Party had been established with the
sponsorship of Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan corresponded to reality,
Manvelyan replied that those were gossips and had no links to reality.

Manvelyan did not want to say what the goal of the party was,
the necessity of establishing one more Democratic Liberal party
and reply other similar questions. "We will distribute a press
release. Today it is simply a working discussion and we refrain from
making comments." Asked how the founding meeting could be a working
meeting at the same time, Manvelyan replied: "The initiative group
convenes a founding meeting."

Another member of the initiative group, Gayane Muradyan, said: "When
the Dashnaks [Armenian Revolutionary Federation – Dashnaktsutyun] hold
a closed meeting you do not ask them questions. Everything is open. We
shall provide you with information afterwards. Our working procedures
are not of interest for you and do not aggravate the situation."

Incidentally, cameramen of Public TV Channel 1 and Channel 2 were
allowed to film in the meeting hall. Other reporters got indignant over
the fact, to which Gayane Muradyan replied: "They have been invited
by the president’s office. We have not invited them. The president
has sent a message." Even reporters of Public TV channels were not
allowed to be present at the meeting. "It is not of your concern. We
shall send a press release," the initiators said.

The head of the Culture Department at the Pedagogical University,
Ruben Mirzakhanyan, participated in the meeting as a guest.

PS. Later we learnt that Armen Manvelyan had been elected acting
leader of the Armenakan Democratic Liberal Party.

U.S. SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS VOTES FOR REDUCTION OF ASSISTANCE TO ARMENIA TO $30 MILLION

ArmInfo
2009-07-10 16:19:00

ArmInfo. Today, Today, the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations
approved the Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 State, Foreign Operations
Appropriations Bill by a vote of 29 to 1, reported the Armenian
Assembly of America (Assembly). The Bill provides $30 million for
Armenia , which is $18 million less than the FY 2009 level.

" U.S. assistance to Armenia helps to offset the impact of Turkey ‘s
ongoing blockade of Armenia , and the Assembly will continue to work
with both the Senate and House to ensure the best possible outcome
for Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh," said Assembly Executive Director
Bryan Ardouny.

The Senate followed the lead of the Obama Administration, which
proposed a sharp reduction in funding to Armenia from last year’s
level of $48 million.

The Senate bill also mirrored the Administration’s request with
respect to assistance to Azerbaijan , calling for $22 million.

According to Assembly sources, at the time of this release, Foreign
Military Financing (FMF) and International Military Education Training
(IMET) were not delineated for Armenia and Azerbaijan .

Although the numbers are not currently available, the Assembly
expects military parity to be maintained. Sources also indicate that
language pertaining to Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act, which
was strengthened by the House Appropriations Committee last month,
will remain in place.

Commenting on this event to ArmInfo, AAA Regional Director Arpi
Vardanyan said the according to the bill adopted by the U.S. Senate
Committee on Appropriations, no assistance has been envisaged for
Nagorno Karabakh.

However, she said, the Committee on Appropriations voted a month ago
for retention of the economic assistance to Armenia in the budget for
the next fiscal year at the level of 2008, i.e. $ 48 mln and increase
of humanitarian assistance to Nagorno Karabakh to $10 mln. ‘At last,
U.S. Senate and House of Representatives will form a joint commission
to determine the final volumes of assistance’, A. Vardanyan said.

EX SPEAKER OF ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT: AMNESTY HAS FAILED TO BE AS EFFECTIVE AS IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE

ArmInfo
2009-07-10 16:56:00

ArmInfo. The recently announced amnesty has failed to be as effective
as it was supposed to be, says ex speaker of the National Assembly
of Armenia Tigran Torossyan.

The amnesty was deficient and has failed to alleviate the
social-political tensions inside the country.

The steps undertaken to shed light on the Mar 1 events were also
ineffective: for example, the group formed to collect facts about
the events has been dissolved.

None of the Mar 1 trials have given any results and all changes to
relevant laws were just a formality.

"Now we have only an interim parliamentary commission and all
our people are expecting specific answers from it. This is a big
responsibility as some of the commissioners really want to give
answers. Unfortunately, we have not yet received and will hardly
receive answers," says Torossyan.

To remind, 10 people were killed and hundreds wounded as a result of
disorders in Yerevan Mar 1 2008.

RF PRESIDENT TAKES OPTIMISTIC STANCE ON NKR CONFLICT SETTLEMENT

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
10.07.2009 21:46 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "I have positive expectations of NKR conflict
settlement, because the process has already reached an advanced stage,"
RF President Dmitry Medvedev told a news conference, summing up the
results of G8 summit.

To that end, Armenian and Azeri leaders are conducting a dialogue to
smooth exiting discrepancies over minor issues, Medevedev said. "In
my view, such positions are within permissible limits. It’s not
something to be resolved in the course of decades. That’s why, I
find that it will be possible to attain certain results," Russian
President stressed, adding that his country would invest its best
efforts in the process, in cooperation with OSCE MG Co-Chairs. "But
we’ll also independent actions because Armenian and Azeri Presidents
will arrive here in the nearest future to participate in one of
presidential events," Interfax quotes Russian president as saying.

During the G8 Summit, Co-chairing states’ presidents Barrack Obama,
Nicolas Sarkozy and Dmitry Medvedev adopted a joint statement, in which
they particularly stress, "Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders should
reach agreement over basic principles adopted in Madrid in 2007."

Principles suggest that NKR people exercise their right to
self-determination through a referendum and NKR’s de-facto independence
be enshrined in a legal document.

On June 17, Armenian and Azeri Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham
Aiyev are to meet in Moscow to participate in the traditional
President’s Cup horse race.

RF APPOINTS TO AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
10.07.2009 17:25 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ RF President Dmitry Medvedev has issued a decree
on appointing Vyacheslav Kovalenko as RF Ambassador Extraordinary
and Plenipotentiary in Armenia.

Before his new appointment, Kovalenko was Ambassador in Russia and
Georgia. His predecessor -Ambassador Nikolay Pavlov, has accomplished
his diplomatic mission in Armenia.

"ARTSAKH ISSUE" AND "ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS" CONFERENCE KICKS OFF IN STEPANAKERT

ARMENPRESS
July 10, 2009

YEREVAN, JULY 10, ARMENPRESS: "Artsakh Issue" and "Armenian-Turkish
relations" two-day conference kicked off today in Stepanakert
which is organized by the Office for Armenian Cause of the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation with the support of "Pyunik" fund, under
the high aegis of Nagorno Karabakh President.

Leader of the Artsakh diocese of Armenian Apostolic Church Archbishop
Pargev Martirosian delivered a blessing speech during the opening
ceremony which took place in the Stepanakert Youth Chamber.

Afterwards the Nagorno Karabakh President Bako Sahakian also
delivered a greeting speech attaching importance of conduction of such
conferences especially in Artsakh. B. Sahakian noted that Artsakh
must be a part of the negotiation process and we must exert all the
efforts for fair solution of Karabakh conflict. He also considered
the warlike statements of the Azerbaijani authorities as unnatural.

Representative of the ARF Bureau Hrant Margarian referred to the aims
of the conference and indicated works.

After the opening ceremony the participants left for the Nagorno
Karabakh Parliament where the works of the conference will be
conducted; representatives of 60 medias will highlight the conference.

Nearly 125 delegates from 25 states take part in the conference. Today
reports are expected on the Artsakh issue, Armenian-Turkish relations,
tomorrow discussions will be held.

Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
[email protected]
Internet

PRESS RELEASE

July 10, 2009
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

HOUSE ADOPTS $48 MILLION FOR ARMENIA; $10 MILLION FOR KARABAGH;
MAINTAINS MILITARY AID PARITY

— Senate Appropriations Committee Maintains President’s Request
for Armenia Aid While Cutting Foreign Aid Budget

WASHINGTON, DC – On Thursday evening, the U.S. House of
Representatives approved the earlier Appropriations Committee
requests for $48 million in U.S. aid to Armenia and $10 million in
aid to Karabagh, while maintaining military assistance parity
between Armenia and Azerbaijan as part of the fiscal year (FY) 2010
foreign assistance package, reported the Armenian National
Committee of America (ANCA.)

House Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations Chairwoman
Nita Lowey (D-NY), Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-chair Mark Kirk
(R-IL) and Armenian Genocide resolution lead sponsor Adam Schiff
(D-CA), all active supporters of Armenia assistance provisions,
welcomed the House decision. Rep. Kirk noted that the bill "also
includes a new requirement for the Administration to consult with
Congress before exercising its waiver authority for assistance to
Azerbaijan granted under section 907 of the Foreign Assistance
Act." Specifically, the bill report language states:

"The Committee reaffirms that Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support
Act is still in effect, pending a settlement of the ongoing dispute
between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the status of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Committee supports the so-called "Minsk Process" that provides
a forum for negotiations toward a peaceful settlement of the
conflict, and encourages the Department of State to continue its
efforts to reenergize the negotiating process this year. As this
process moves forward, the Committee believes that all parties in
the conflict must refrain from threats, incitement to the use of
force, or other inflammatory rhetoric. Recognizing that the
Congress gave the President broad waiver authority with respect to
Section 907 in the fiscal year 2002 Appropriations Act and that
this waiver has been exercised in every fiscal year since then, the
Committee directs that the Department of State consult with the
Committees on Appropriations before exercising this waiver for
fiscal year 2010 to ensure that all conditions under the waiver
provision are being fully met."

Rep. Schiff noted that, for the first time, "the report
accompanying the [foreign aid] bill references the policy of parity
in military assistance provided to Armenia and
Azerbaijan." Despite Bush and Obama Administration calls to break
military assistance parity, Congress has maintained the provision,
concerned about providing greater military assistance to an
Azerbaijani leadership which continues threats of war against
neighboring Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh.

The FY 2010 House Appropriations bill keeps foreign military
financing to both countries at $3 million and International
Military Education and Training (IMET) assistance at $450,000 each.

The Senate Appropriations Committee approved President Obama’s
request of $30 million in assistance to Armenia, while cutting the
overall foreign aid funding budget. Similar to previous years’
measures, the bill does not make a specific assistance allocation
for Nagorno Karabagh and remains silent on foreign military
assistance and IMET funding.

"The ANCA welcomes House passage of the foreign aid bill, and
particularly the increased assistance for Nagorno Karabagh and
maintaining military assistance parity for Azerbaijan and Armenia,"
reported ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian. "Given the ongoing economic
hardship caused by the Turkish and Azerbaijani blockades of
Armenia, and President Aliyev’s consistent threats of war against
his neighbors, we are disappointed with the Senate Appropriations
Committee’s allocation of only $30 million for Armenia. We look
forward to working with Senate and House conferees to ensure that
the final bill reflects appropriate funding levels, which promote
stability and economic progress in the region."

The Senate has yet to consider its version of the foreign aid bill,
after which Senate and House appropriators will confer on a final
version of the measure, to be sent to President Obama for
signature.

BANANTS WINS SIROKI BRIJEG

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
10.07.2009 14:08 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Banants Armenian FC inflicted a defeat on Siroki
Brijeg (Bosnia-Herzegovina) on July 9 during the first qualification
round of European Football League.

However, the Bosnia-Herzegovinan team broke through to the next round
thanks to the victory they scored over Banants in Yerevan.

Earlier, Armenian Mika FC dropped out of the competition after a
match Sweden’s Helsingborg.

MORE THAN 4000 PEOPLE TRAINED AT ‘BEELINE-UNIVERSITY’ OVER A YEAR

Arminfo
2009-07-09 13:55:00

CJSC "ArmenTel" (trade mark Beeline) has finalized the first year
of the Beeline University of Armenia, a local branch of the unified
educational center for the staff of VimpelCom companies.

Over 4000 people have been trained over the past year at the
university. 19 coaches work at the university, most of them have
international certificates, foreign experts are also involved, press
office of the company reports.

‘The task of the our corporative University is to open potential of
employees, to carry forward dingle corporative culture and values,
to give an opportunity of training and developing which is necessary
for reaching results in business. This is a new phenomena for the
Armenian business and we are glad that such structure was opened just
in our company’, – the leader of the ‘Beeline-University’ in Armenia
Nana Hovanesyan said.

In the near future the Beeline University of Armenia intends to
undertook several projects for pupils and students. In particular, open
lessons for high school students will be held in which they will be
taught principles of business, functions of various companies. "We hope
this project will help students in choosing a profession," director of
organizational development and work with staff Liana Khachatryan said.

CJSC ‘ArmenTel’ is a subsidiary of the Russian ‘Vympelcom’ – one of
the biggest mobile operators of Russia and the CIS. The training-centre
of ArmenTel got the status of ‘Beeline-University’ in July 2008.

CO-CHAIR HOPE FOR TANGIBLE PROGRESS FROM THE NEXT SARGSYAN-ALIYEV MEETING
Lusine Vasilyan

"Radiolur"
09.07.2009 10:37

The discussions on the Karabakh conflict settlement continue. The
Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group Yuri Merzlyakov, Bernard Fassier
and Matthew Bryza summed up the results of their visit to Yerevan at
a joint press conference.

The Co-Chairs informed that the scheduled visit to Stepanakert did
not take place because of bad weather conditions. "I see some of
you laughing, but in vain. You can call Bako Sahakyan and know that
weather was the only reason," Bernard Fassier clarified.

The Co-Chairs had meetings with Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian
and President Serzh Sargsyan. They assess the meetings in Yerevan
as constructive.

This was the 9th visit of the mediators to the region this
year. Bernard Fassier noted that the visit was aimed at preparing the
next Sargsyan-Aliyev meeting in Moscow on July 17. The meeting of the
Presidents will be the 6th within 13 months. "This is an unprecedented
number in the history of negotiations. This shows that the leaders
have what to discuss," Fassier said.

According to Fassier, the talks are at an important stage today. They
voiced hope that concrete progress would be registered during the
upcoming meeting in Moscow.