Prime minister sacks deputy minister
YEREVAN, April 9. /ARKA/. Prime minister Tigran Sarkisian dismissed a
deputy urban planning minister Artak Gabrielian replacing him with
Avag Hakobian, the government press office told ARKA.
Tigran Sarkisian also appointed Gagik Stepanian as a deputy governor
of Gegharkunik province and Albert Ghazarian- as a deputy governor of
Kotayk province. -0-
World Markets Research Centre
Global Insight
April 8 2010
Drug Sales in Armenia Reach US$70 mil.
BYLINE: Zulaikha Sesay
Sales of drugs in Armenia amounted to US$70 million in 2009, reports
Armenian news agency Arka. This figure was provided by the Director of
the Scientific Centre of Drug and Medical Technologies Expertise
(SCDMTE), a body that regulates the pharmaceutical industry. According
to the SCDMTE, sales were up from about US$50 million in 2008, a 40%
year-on-year increase. Imports account for the bulk of sales, with
those from domestic producers only accounting for 5-7% of total sales.
Significance:The increase in turnover from drugs sold in Armenia comes
as little surprise, given the pharmaceutical price growth reported in
2009. A report commissioned by the ministry of health found that two
of the six biggest local pharmaceutical companies by market
share–Amikus and Vaga Farm–were involved in excessive pricing. The
rapid growth observed over the last year may increase the
attractiveness of the Armenian pharmaceutical market, following a
pattern observed in various ex-Soviet states.
Armenian president sees no threat of war resumption in the near future
2010-04-09 19:36:00
ArmInfo. "There has always been a threat of war resumption",- said
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan during a press-conference in the
resort town of Dilijan.
According to him, there was a threat of war resumption in 1995, 2000
and 2005, and it remains today. "There will be a threat of war until
peace and stability are established in our region",- he said. Sargsyan
added that such threats become objective for Armenian people when
Azeris display militarist behavior without any grounds. "I see no
advantages among Azeris as compared with us",- said Sargsyan.
The president expressed confidence that both opposition and
authorities have people, who will find themselves in the front line in
case of resumption of the military actions. At the same time, the
president said: "I see no threat of war resumption in the near
future". He added that the defense minister should always expect
military actions to start even tomorrow. "Therefore the defense
ministry and the whole ministry staff are working day and night. Our
army is battle-worthy, and in case of war we cannot be taken aback",-
he said.
ARMENIAN POLITICIAN COMMENDS LEVON TER-PETROSSYAN FOR HIS RESTRAINT
ArmInfo
-04-08 15:25:00
ArmInfo. I am glad that the first president of Armenia Levon
Ter-Petrossyan objects to political destabilization in Armenia,
the leader of the United Labor Party of Armenia Gurgen Arsenyan said
during a press-conference today while commenting on Ter-Petrossyan’s
speech during the Apr 6 opposition rally.
"The key inspiring aspect of his speech was that he refrains from
actions that can destabilize the political situation in the country.
Today, we must follow the "do no harm" principle. We need state
mentality and must go beyond narrow personal frames. After all, we
have just one homeland and we must take care of it. Governments will
come and go while homeland and nation will stay," Arsenyan said.
ARMENIAN, TURKISH NGOS CALL ON AUTHORITIES IN BOTH STATES TO NORMALIZE RELATIONS
PanARMENIAN.Net
April 9, 2010 – 15:56 AMT 10:56 GMT
The 37th Congress of the International Federation for Human Rights
(FIDH) pays tribute to the memory of the victims of the Armenian
Genocide and salutes the efforts of its member organizations in Armenia
and in Turkey (Civil Society Institute (CSI, Armenia), Human Rights
Association (IHD, Turkey) and Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (HRFT,
Turkey)) and brings its full support to the joint Declaration that
they have concluded in the context of the 37th FIDH Congress, including
perspectives for actions identified in the following Declaration:
"We strongly believe that the protection of human rights throughout
Turkey and the South Caucasus is key in the process of peace-building,
reconciliation and good neighborly relations between all countries
in the region, in order to ensure the safety, wellbeing and dignity
of people across borders.
We call on both countries and societies in Armenia and Turkey to join
their efforts and to create the necessary environment and processes
to compensate for any negative consequences of human rights abuses
committed in the past, including discrimination on the basis of
ethnicity, religion etc, and to adhere to the standards of human
rights protection as defined by international instruments.
As an essential component to ensure respect for human rights throughout
the region, we call for freedom of expression in all countries, and
for the abolishment of any laws and practices that prevent free speech,
including those imposing constraints on the Armenian-Turkish dialogue,
such as Article 301 of the Criminal Code of Turkey.
We urge the political parties of the government and of the opposition
in Turkey and Armenia to fulfill their duties to take every necessary
step to normalize relations between the two countries and societies.
This includes the imminent need to implement the bilateral Protocols
on the normalization of diplomatic relations and the opening of mutual
borders. Progress in this direction and the process of democratic
transformation in Turkey will create a favorable environment for
addressing the painful issue of the Armenian Genocide.
We denounce all forms of hostility fed by militaristic ambitions and
structures among nations in the region.
To ensure sustainable peace between Armenia and Turkey and the
prevention of mutual hostility in the future, we call on the
two governments to ratify and implement the Rome Statute of the
International Criminal Court.
With the aim of building bridges between the two societies, we call
on both countries to implement inclusive policies and to abolish
exclusive approaches in every sphere of life.
We call on the governments and civil societies of both countries to
promote equal and just treatment in every sphere of life, including
media, education, administration, legal practices, and public life."
ACCORDING TO TIGRAN SARGSYAN, FRIENDLY POLITICAL RELATIONS BETWEEN ARMENIA AND TURKMENISTAN ALSO REQUIRE ECONOMIC FOUNDATION
NOYAN TAPAN
APRIL 8, 2010
YEREVAN
YEREVAN, APRIL 8, NOYAN TAPAN. Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran
Sargsyan attended on April 8 an exhibition-sale held within the
framework of the 2nd siiting of the intergovernmental commission on
economic cooperation between Armenia and Turkmenistan.
The RA Government Information and PR Department reported that prior to
that the prime minister had a tete-a-tete talk with Khidir Saparaliyev,
Co-Chairman of the Intergovernmental Commission.
In his speech of welcome, T. Sargsyan particularly said:
"It is no secret that our relations are dynamically developing in
recent period. They are based on the traditions that we must preserve,
develop and deepen. The sitting of the intergovernmental commission
and the exhibition that we opened today in Yerevan also contribute to
the development of our relations. This is an opportunity for Armenian
consumers to become acquainted with the goods exported by our Turkmen
friends to numerous countries. In recent years the Turkmen economy has
been rapidly developing, and a sustainable growth, especially in the
textile industry, has been recorded. Of course, this experience is of
interest to us. It is also important to understand what products are
made by these enterprises. There are mutual interests in this issue.
Mr. Saparalieyv and I discussed some issues of mutual interest. We
said that obviously, the friendly political relations between our
countries require an economic foundation and have to be strenthened
economically. There is serious potential, and our governments should
make every effort to expand and deepen the economic relations between
our countries. One graphic evidence of that is today’s exhibition where
you can see a wide range of goods which may be of mutual interest".
T. Sargsyan expressed confidence that all the agreements reached at
the sitting of the intergovernmental commission would help promote
the friendly ties between the two countries.
ERDOGAN: TURKEY IS RESOLVED TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE NORMALIZATION PROCESS
PanARMENIAN.Net
April 8, 2010 – 14:30 AMT 09:30 GMT
Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu,
who conducted talks in Yerevan as the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan’s special envoy, delivered Erdogan’s letter to Armenian
officials and was exploring the possibilities of an Erdogan-Sargsyan
meeting, Hurriyet reported.
Diplomatic sources said "the letter included Turkey’s commitment to
the two protocols signed between Ankara and Yerevan in October 2009
to establish diplomatic relations, Turkey’s resolve to move forward
with the normalization process and Ankara’s readiness to discuss ways
to remove the existing obstacles."
Analysts welcomed the Turkish initiative to send an envoy to Yerevan as
a willingness to keep bilateral channels open in a "multi-actor game."
"This is an important initiative before Erdogan’s Washington visit,
both to keep the pulse in Yerevan and to show Ankara’s readiness to
engage in direct dialogue with Armenia," said Kamer Kasim, from the
International Strategic Research Organization.
ONLY WAY OUT OF THIS MESS IS ARMENIAN PRESIDENT’S RESIGNATION: IGITYAN
Tert.am
17:14 ~U 07.04.10
Asked whether Armenia is obligated to sign the Madrid Principles
on NKR conflict resolution, Pan-Armenian National Movement member
Hovhannes Igityan answered the question with a question: "But is the
proposed document advantageous for Nagorno-Karabakh, in fact?"
According to the former chair of the parliamentary Standing
Committee on Foreign Relations, the Armenian public doesn’t know
what Nagorno-Karabakh’s leadership and public want or which version
of the resolution they prefer.
Igityan said, according to him, a resolution to the NKR issue is close;
however, it’s not beneficial for Armenia. In his opinion, the situation
is unpromising for Armenia also in the Armenia-Turkey rapprochement
process. "The Armenian-Turkish process is quite unfavourable for
Armenia, but withdrawing from that promise would be more difficult,"
he said.
Turning his attention to the likelihood of ratification of the
Armenia-Turkey Protocols, Igityan noted that the parties will ratify
those documents if they are seriously placed under pressure. At the
same time, Igityan drew attention to the fact that the atmosphere
surrounding this Armenian-Turkish process is so poor that Protocols
ratification cannot serve its true purpose, which is establishing
diplomatic relations and opening the Armenia-Turkey border.
In Igityan’s opinion, the way out of withdrawing from the situation
created by both the Armenian-Turkish and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
resolution process is the resignation of Armenia’s president.
HAMADOUN TOURE: ARMENIA REACHED 100% COVERAGE OF ITS TERRITORY BY MOBILE COMMUNICATION
ArmInfo
2010-04-07 13:42:00
ArmInfo. At late 2009, Armenia reached 100% coverage of its territory
by mobile communication, and it takes the third place in CIS region
after Russia ad Ukraine by coverage ad growth rates, Secretary-General
of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Dr. Hamadoun Toure
said in Yerevan on Wednesday during the roundtable on communication
and telecommunications.
He said he is very glad to the high rates of growth of the mobile
communication market in Armenia (the number of mobile subscribers in
Armenia currently makes up about 3 mln under 3,2 mln of population).
He added that the number of the mobile communication users in the
world will reach 5 bln in 2010. According to him, Armenia should pay
much attention to development of a wide-band Internet and make it more
available for the population. H. Toure also emphasized the importance
of developing digital technologies. He said it is scheduled to switch
the whole world to the digital television and radio broadcasting in
2015 and Armenia should not be in arrears of these processes.
In his turn, Transport and Communication Minister of Armenia
Manuk Vardanyan emphasized the importance of communication and
telecommunications for the country’s social and economic development.
According to him, the number of Internet users in Armenia in 2009
grew to 1,2 mln against 200,000 in 2008, and the number of mobile
communication users makes up about 3 mln, which grew many times over
several years. "Today, we should pay attention to the quality of
communication", the minister said.
According to Director of the Enterprises Incubator Foundation of
Armenia Bagrat Yengibaryan, Internet availability in Armenia makes
up 10-15%. The government is going to increase this indicator to
100% in the next 3-4 years. Internet availability in Armenia is the
lowest in the region: in Georgia, for example, it makes up 25% and
in Azerbaijan – 30%, he said.
International Telecommunication Union was created in 1965. Its
includes 191 countries and 700 private companies. Armenia joined this
organization in 1992.
Tournée de l’ensemble traditionnel Naregatsi en France l’orchestre
passera par Bourg-de-Péage et Montélimar
MUSIQUE ARMENIENNE
dimanche 4 avril 2010, par Krikor Amirzayan/armenews
L’ensemble Naregatsi composé de 26 jeunes musiciens talentueux
d’Arménie présentera la musique traditionnelle arménienne à travers
une tournée en Suisse et en France. Ainsi, l’orchestre traditionnel
Naregatsi se produira à Zurich, Lugano, Genève, Paris, Lyon, Cahors,
Toulouse, Marseille…ainsi que dans nombre d’autres villes de
l’hexagone.
Dans le cadre de cette tournée, l’ensemble Naregatsi sera à
Bourg-de-Péage (Drôme, près de Romans et Valence) le 27 avril à 20h30
(Salle Jean Cocteau) soirée organisée par l’Amicale des Arméniens de
Romans. Billets en vente auprès de l’Office de Tourisme de Romans
(enfants 5 euros, adultes 10 euros). Infos auprès du président Bernard
Cakici (tél. 06 13 41 87 30). Le lendemain 28 avril à 20h30 il se
produira à Montélimar (Temple, face à la Médiathèque) organisé par
l’association « Mémoire et Culture Arméniennes » en partenariat avec
le Conservatoire intercommunal Montélimar-Sésame (libre participation
aux frais).