Author: Nalchajian Markos

ARMENIAN ATHLETES LEAVE FOR BAKU

Tert.am
17:58 30.03.10

In April, the AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships (previously
known as the World Cadet Championships), in which Armenia will also
participate, will take place in Baku.

Armenian Boxing Federation Vice-President Derenik Gabrielyan said that
despite a certain amount of tension in Armenian-Azerbaijani relations,
the tournament is rated and that’s why Armenia intends to participate
in the boxing championship in Baku.

Azerbaijan Boxing Federation Vice-President Agajan Abiyev has said
with which route the Armenian team can get to Azerbaijan (as the
border between the two countries is closed) and where they should
stay while in the country.

Gabrielyan said, "The athletes who’ve won prizes will be worthy of
passes for the matches in Baku. Armenia’s delegation will go to Baku
with 5-6 athletes. According to a decision by the Armenian Boxing
Federation Executive Committee, those who have an actual chance of
winning a medal will get drawn into the team. A small delegation,
10 people in all, will leave Armenia for Azerbaijan."

OVERALL STATE REVENUE INCREASES BY 21,8%

Aysor
March 29 2010
Armenia

Overall state revenue in January-February of 2010, as reported by
Armenia’s Ministry of Finance, increased by 21,8% (18,5 billion drams)
in comparison with the same period of the previous year. Officials
increased taxes and fees by 19%, social insurance payments by 28,1%,
and other revenues by 50,5%.

According to officials, in the announced period government revenue
plan of 2010 is implemented by 14,3%, and government expenses of the
2010 plan are implemented by 12,6%.

State revenue for January-February of 2010 showed 103,1 billion drams
(this is the government plan’s implementation by 68,3%), and state
expenses for the same period showed 106,2 billion drams (this is the
57,5% of the government plan for 2010.)

ARMENIA AGAINST SOME ASPECTS OF MADRID PRINCIPLES: YURI MERZLYAKOV

Tert.am
13:35 29.03.10

The process of talks over the Nagorno-Karabakh (NKR) conflict
settlement is quite serious which necessitated this visit by the
OSCE Minsk Group’s co-chairs to the region, said OSCE Minsk Group
Russian co-chair Yuri Merzlyakov in Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh,
during a March 28 meeting with NKR President Bako Sahakyan.

After a one-and-a-half-hour meeting with NKR officials, the OSCE Minsk
Group mediators stated that the meeting was substantial. Merzlyakov
said that currently they are in the process of coordinating the
proposals presented by the co-chairs at the end of last year.

According to Merzlyakov, the Armenian side has already come out
against some of the points in the renewed Madrid Principles.

"But we’re not complicating the situation, as just two years ago
there was the same situation over the Madrid Principles when the
Armenian side accepted [it], but, as it turns out now, not fully,
while the Azerbaijani side didn’t accept it, and we worked long [and
hard] to reach common ground," said Merzlyakov, adding that except
for four points, Armenia and Azerbaijan, in general, have reached an
agreement over the renewed version of the Madrid Principles.

According to Radio Liberty, French co-chair Bernard Fassier excluded
the possibility of solving the conflict through war.

"War cannot be an option, and we have often been saying this
everywhere. We continue to think that this issue is impossible to solve
through war. And if a war begins, what? The geography will not change,
neither will the history, and the issue will be more complicated,"
said Fassier.

Later today, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs are expected to meet
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandian.

Aysor, Armenia
March 26 2010

Ten EU Informational Centers to open in Armenia

Within the framework of Armenia-EU cooperation ten EU Informational
Centers are reported to open in Armenia.

Discussions on the project took place at the meeting between Chairman
of the EU-Armenia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee Artur
Baghdasarian and the EU Ambassadors on March 26.

The key objective of the centers’ opening is a campaign of presenting
to a wide audience the EU plans and goals, the EU Eastern Partnership
Plan, activities by the EU consultants in Armenia, and the economic
and business-management projects. Centers are expected to coordinate
preparation and distribution of publications, hold lectures and
seminars, training courses, and carry other activities.

POETRY: O LOVE, LONELIEST LOVE OF ALL
Tatul Sonentz-Papazian

10/03/24/poetry-o-love-loneliest-love-of-all/
Wed, Mar 24 2010

O love

Loneliest love of all

How dark are these clouds
gathered by the sun
to watch the day
rise

As if that bird there could see itself only
by the aura of its course

As if those young leaves sighing with desire
were none but verdant margins
of imagination

As if
the purple flame
burning in the translucent memory of the panes
exists only by the pure prayer
of the lamp

—–Forough Farrokhzad
translated by Tatul Sonentz
based on the French rendition by Sylvie Miller

ERDOGAN ONCE AGAIN CONNECTS OPENING OF ARMENIA-TURKEY BORDER WITH NAGORNO-KARABAKH

Tert.am
13:51 â~@¢ 25.03.10

Since Armenians still haven’t withdrawn from "Azerbaijani territories,"
Turkey won’t open its border with Armenia, said Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan in an interview with German weekly Die Zeit.

Asked by the interviewer why Turkey doesn’t open its border with
Armenia, Erdogan said: "The border was closed because the Armenians
attacked our Azerbaijani brothers and occupied Nagorno-Karabakh. The
UN also considers that occupation. When the Armenians leave those
territories, we will open the border."

Referring to the passing of Armenian Genocide resolutions by various
countries’ parliaments, the Turkish prime minister said that "That’s
the result of propaganda by the Diaspora."

"Parliamentarians occupy themseves with a subject that they have no
connection to. Such resolutions shouldn’t be passed by third-party
states. That’s only the political propaganda by the Armenian Diaspora,"
he said.

AZERBAIJAN HAS RIGHT TO ENSURE ITS TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY – FM

news.az, Azerbaijan
March 25 2010

MFA of Azerbaijan In his speech, Armenian President, speaking about
one of the discussed principles at negotiation table, forgets about
the others – Elkhan Polukhov.

It should be recalled that the updated Madrid principles has 3 basic
principles", the press secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
of Azerbaijan Elkhan Polukhov told journalists in his interview.

Commenting on the recent statement of President Serzh Sargsyan,
Polukhov said the talks were based on respect for sovereignty and
territorial integrity of states, principles of non use of force and
ensure the people of their own destiny: "To base one of the principles
and try to forget about the others – it is one of the political
games of the Armenian side. These principles were put forward at the
negotiating table by Minsk Group co-chairs states. Azerbaijan as a
whole has accepted the updated Madrid principles. But Armenia is still
escapes from the unambiguous answer to this question. Azerbaijan’s
position is unambiguous. Territorial integrity of Azerbaijan can
not raise doubt and the right to determine their own destiny can be
realized only in the framework of territorial integrity. To implement
this principle Armenian armed forces must leave the territory of
Azerbaijan. Once occupation forces will be withdrawn, the essence of
military rhetoric will be lost".

To Polukhov, Azerbaijan continues negotiations due to the fact that
negotiations have the potential: "But we have always said, and state
that Azerbaijan has the right to ensure its territorial integrity,
using all the mechanisms of international law".

Note that, Serzh Sargsyan, in an interview with Euronews television
channel, announced his intention to appeal to Azerbaijan with a
proposal in connection with the signing of an agreement on nonuse
of force.

APA

TUV RHEINLAND GROUP CONFIRMS AMERIABANK’S ISO 9001:2008 QUALITY MANAGEMENT CERTIFICATE MEETING INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS

ArmInfo
25.03.2010

ArmInfo. TUV RHEINLAND GROUP German company confirmed Ameriabank’s
ISO 9001:2008 quality management certificate meeting international
standards. As Ameriabank’s press service told ArmInfo, the bank
received this certificate on April 7, 2009.

Representative of TUV RHEINLAND GROUP highly appreciated the bank’s
annual activity in the line of quality management. The bank implemented
a number of measures during the last year, aimed at improvement and
development of the quality management system. In particular, a process
of development and approval of the documents, regulating the bank’s
activity, has been completed. In parallel, over 100 current processes
have been improved. Moreover, a customer relationship system has been
improved, a system of balanced indicators has been implemented, within
the frames of which the tasks and goals of Ameriabank’s subdivisions
and employees have been developed and determined in accordance with
the bank’s strategy.

To note, Ameriabank focuses on the investment banking, as well as
renders the whole spectrum of universal banking services. Troika
Dialogue Group of companies, one of the biggest investment-banking
companies of Russia with 99,9% equity share in the bank’s capital,
is Ameriabank’s strategic partner. TUV Group of companies is one
of the leading international companies on certification, consulting
and training, with 1.27 bln Euro of annual turnover (1/5 part of the
company’s capital – outside of Germany). The company firmly tightened
its positions of a leader among similar companies in EU. TUV Group has
over 500 service centers and representations in Europe, USA and Asia.

TURKEY MUST PUT UP WITH DARK PAGES IN ITS HISTORY, SWEDISH POLITICIAN SAYS

news.am
March 24 2010
Armenia

More than enough proofs of the Armenian Genocide are available, Peter
Weiderud, Chairman of the Christian Social Democratic Party of Sweden,
stated at a news conference in Yerevan.

The 1915 events were a genocide, which is a fact, he said. Many
independent experts view the events as genocide, and even some
Turkish specialists say this, Weiderud. The politician reported
that the Swedish Parliament has regularly discussed the issue
of recognizing the Armenian Genocide for ten years. This year a
relevant resolution has been adopted by a majority of votes. Also,
the Parliament discussed the issue of whether the resolution will
cause damage to the Armenian-Turkish dialogue. However, the longer
is the delay the worse, Weiderud said.

Crimes like that have no limitation, and Turkey must realize the fact,
Weiderud said. He expressed hope that both Armenia and Turkey will
make proper use of the Swedish Parliament’s resolution and reach an
agreement without other states’ interference. Although the Swedish
Government was strongly against the bill, and the Opposition won with
only one vote more, no party represented in the Swedish Parliament
calls the fact of the Armenian Genocide into question, Weiderud said.

He also addressed the issue of Turkey’s membership in the EU.

According to him, Sweden has always been for Turkey’s membership and
will continue assisting the country, as Turkey is part of Europe.

However, that state would be closer to the EU if it put up with the
dark pages in its history.

On March 11 the Swedish Parliament approved an Armenian Genocide
resolution. Turkey recalled its Ambassador to Sweden.

NKR PRESIDENT MEETS PARTICIPANTS OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE IN STEPANAKERT

Armradio.am
24.03.2010 11:19

President of the Artsakh Republic Bako Sahakyan received a group of
participants of the international scientific-practical conference
dedicated to the 90th anniversary of pogroms in Shoushi and the 20th
anniversary of pogroms in Baku, Central Information Department of
the Office of the NKR President reported.

The Head of the State underlined the importance of organizing such
conferences in Artsakh noting that the pogroms in Shoushi and Baku
are among the most tragic pages in the history of our people and are
the links of the same historical-political chain.

Bako Sahakyan stressed that in order to exclude such events in future
it is first of all necessary study them comprehensively scrutinizing
historical, political, cultural, ethnographic, economic and other
aspects.

The President noted that activities should not be limited to carrying
out a single arrangement of this type and anticipated successiveness
of the started process.