Author: Nargizian David

FIRST RA PRESIDENT LEVON TER-PETROSIAN TO BE AT TOP OF ANC ELECTORAL ROLL IN YEREVAN COUNCILLOR MEMBERS ELECTIONS

Noyan Tapan

M arch 16, 2009

YEREVAN, MARCH 16, NOYAN TAPAN. First RA President Levon Ter-Petrosian
will be at the top of the Armenian National Congress (ANC) electoral
roll in the May 31 Yerevan councillor members elections. This decision
was made at the March 15 joint meeting of the ANC Political Board
and Central Office, in which L. Ter-Petrosian also participated.

With another decision parties making part of ANC empowered the ANC
Central Office to discuss Zharangutiun party’s proposal on running
for the elections with a common electoral roll and to start official
negotiations in that direction.

Nomination of parties and blocs for Yerevan councillor members’
elections will start on March 17. The deadline for introducing
necessary documents to the Central Electoral Commission is March
22, 18:00.

Regnum, Russia
March 12 2009

Source: Putin will visit Armenia on May, 2009

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will visit Armenia on May, 2009,
informed ArmInfo news agency with reference to reliable source, close
to government circles.

According to the source, Russian Premier Minister will visit the
number of enterprises with the Russian capital along with official
meeting with Armenian authorities and participation in a
business-forum. In particular, is expected the visit of Armenal
aluminum foil factory by Putin.

As informed REGNUM earlier Russian Premier got an invitation to visit
Armenia form Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan during his recent
working visit to Moscow.

A1+

Vazgen Manukyan appointed Public Council member
[05:55 pm] 11 March, 2009

President Serzh Sargsyan signed an edict on ratifying the statute of
the Public Council and appointing its members.

Robert Amirkhanyan, Anna Asatryan, Lilit Asatryan, Karen Bekaryan,
Emil Gabrielyan, Anelka Grigoryan, Astghik Gevorgyan, Hayk Demoyan,
Hovhannes Zanazanyanm, Khosrov Harutyunyan, Vazgen Manukyan and
Vladimir Movsisyan were appointed members of the Public Council.

According to the edict, the Public Council is an advisory body of 36
members. The Council is formed by the President of the Republic of
Armenia. The other 24 members will be elected according to the
procedure and terms envisaged by the statute.

;sec tionid=351020606

Baku disgruntled with US meddling
Mon, 09 Mar 2009 18:16:19 GMT

AH-1W Super Cobra helicopters at a US military base.

The Pentagon’s interference in Azerbaijan’s defense issues has hit a
nerve in the former Soviet Republic’s parliament, an Azeri lawmaker
says.

Aydin Mirzazadeh, the deputy Chairman of the defense and security
committee in Azerbaijan’s Parliament, rebuffed the strategic
preparations by Washington to provide military support for his
country.

Mirzazadeh told reporters on Monday that the Republic of Azerbaijan
"is not in need of other parties’ support and can resolve its problems
through domestic potentials".

"Our military is perfectly capable of defending the country and we
will never seek other parties’ help in protecting our sovereignty,"
the Azeri official added.

The Azeri parliament member said the Pentagon has been holding
sessions to analyze military plans for defending Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity in the event of an Iranian attack on the
country.

"Holding such sessions without the knowledge and presence of military
officials in Baku is a questionable matter," Mirzazadeh added.

The former Soviet republic is an important ally in Washington’s
declared war on "Islamic extremism" and is also a key refueling point
for US planes bound for Afghanistan.

The remarks by the Azeri official came amid growing speculation that
the United States is gearing up to support an Israeli attack on Iran
over the country’s long-disputed nuclear program.

Western military experts have speculated that a US-backed Israeli war
on Iran would prompt an Iranian military reaction against US interests
in the region.

The large American military presence in Azerbaijan has also given rise
to fears that the country could be used as a launchpad for an attack
on Iran.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in 2008 that Tehran has
never waged war against any nation and does not intend to do so.
However, Iranian officials have warned that in case of an attack
against their interests, the army would not hesitate to take all
necessary measures to protect the country’s sovereignty.

Earlier in July, an aide to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution,
Mojtaba Zolnour warned that Iranian Armed Forces would target the
heart of Israel and 32 US bases if the country comes under attack.

"If the US or Israel fire one bullet against Iran, the Iranian Armed
Forces will not hesitate to target the heart of Israel and 32 US
military bases in the region before the dust settles," Zolnour said.

Mp: rumors about state budget sequester must be stopped

YEREVAN, March 10. /ARKA/. Artsvik Minasyan, MP from Armenian
Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun, denied rumors about state
budget sequester. He thinks such rumors are fueling public pessimism.

The lawmaker finds it impossible to predict the exact course of
economic processes in Armenia. He finds it difficult to say whether
Armenia record economic growth or face decline.

`There are some assumptions now, but we can ground on none of them’,
Minasyan said. World Bank forecasts zero economic growth in Armenia in
2009, while IMF predicts 1.5% slowdown.

Armenian Economy Minister Nerses Yeritsyan told ARKA News Agency that
Armenia will manage to ensure higher-than-zero economic growth.Minasyan
said the present successful tax collection gives no grounds for
pessimism. He also said that tax receipts that are expected to grow
along with price rise will be spent for social payments to maintain
living standards.

This Tuesday the CBA Board took into account the gradually worsening
trade conditions amid the present global economic and financial crisis,
as well as lower capital flow rates, and decided to restrict its
interventions in the currency market thereby reverting to its floating
exchange rate policy. CBA experts believed the dollar average exchange
rate would be 360-380 AMD/$1 this year.

As a result, the dollar leapt to AMD 380/400 per dollar driving food
0Aand fuel prices up and triggering panic. Ordinary people rushed into
supermarkets for butter, sugar and flour.
State Commission on Protection of Economic Competition says prices for
vegetable oil, butter, petrol and sugar immediately soared.

On March 5, Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan said that the 2009
state budget won’t be reconsidered, if things run in due course. But in
case of unfavorable developments, the government will have to
reconsider it in mid-2009. Under the 2009 state budget, the revenue is
planned to total AMD 905 billion, expenditure AMD 945 billion and
deficit AMD 40 billion.

It was planned in the state budget one dollar to be equal to AMD 303.69
in 2009. GDP growth was planned at 9.2% and inflation at 4% (±1.5%).
M.V. -0-

Pre-tax profit of HSBC Bank Armenia grew by 17% to $16.3 mln in 2008

2009-03-08 13:52:00

ArmInfo. In 2008 the pre-tax profit of HSBC Bank Armenia grew by 17% to
5 bln AMD ($16.3 mln), Chief Executive Officer of HSBC Bank Armenia Tim
Slater told journalists, Saturday.

He thinks that the year 2009 will be difficult for the banking system
of Armenia, however, HSBC Bank Armenia is quite ready to resist all
difficulties. At the same time, T.Slater expressed confidence that the
bank’s activity in 2009 will also profitable.

According to him, the year 2008 became for the bank a year of
large-scale investing in various projects. In particular, in 2008 the
bank opened 2 new branches in Yerevan, as well as a back-office
centralizing all the branches of the bank. $5 mln was spent on
implementation of the latter. In 2008 the provision of crediting of
HSBC Bank Armenia grew by 40% to 74 bln AMD. As of 31 December 2008,
the number of its employees amounted to 412, having increased by 21,5%.
He stressed that at the end of 2008 the bank received a credit line
worth $100 mln from its shareholders, this amount will be used only if
necessary. T.Slater said that HSBC Bank Armenia investments aim not
only to expand the branch network, but also introduce up-to-date
technologies. In particular, mobile banking is already operating, and
relevant work is being done to introduce internet banking. The bank is
also expanding the network of branches in Yerevan, at present it has 43
ATMs. The bank’s clients prefer carrying out banking operations not
only in the branches, but also via internet, over the telephone and via
ATMs, T.Slater said.

In 2008, HSBC Group ensured 19.9 bln AMD pre-tax profit, which is by
18% lower than in 2007. Nonetheless, this is quite a good result. Not
all the banks announced the results of their activities, but
there is confidence that summing up willconfirm the leading positions
of HSBC Group in profitability among the banking groups of the world.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version: nian.htm

FORMER MINISTER MICHEL EDDÉ AND HIS DELEGATION
DISCUSS THE STATUS OF LEBANESE DIASPORA
WITH HIS HOLINESS ARAM I

On Friday morning 6 March 2009, former Minister Michel Eddé and his
delegation representing the Maronite Church, visited His Holiness Aram I.
The purpose of the visit was to update His Holiness on their work regarding
the registration of Lebanese living abroad and not acquired the Lebanese
citizenship.

As a follow-up to this process that was being undertaken also by other
communities, the delegation requested from Catholicos Aram I that the
Armenian community also begins a similar process.

His Holiness Aram I welcomed the initiative and highlighted its importance
when mixed committees implement such a project in countries where there are
Lebanese communities. The new law the Lebanese Parliament will be adopting
will strengthen this process of registration. The Parliament will be
instructing all Lebanese Embassies to facilitate this task. A member of the
Executive Committee of the Armenian National Church Council, Mr. Hagop
Atechian was also present at this meeting.

##
View the photo here:
tos/Photos362.htm#2
*****
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician
Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is located in
Antelias, Lebanon.

RUSAL FINISHES UPGRADE OF ARMENIAN FOIL PLANT

Prime-Tass English-language Business Newswire
March 4, 2009 Wednesday 2:40 PM EET
Russia

Russia’s United Company RUSAL has finished the upgrade of its Armenal
foil production plant in Armenia, RUSAL said Wednesday.

As a result of the upgrade, the plant’s annual production capacity
rose 50% to 25,000 tonnes of foil.

According to earlier reports, RUSAL invested U.S. $70 million to carry
out a complete overhaul of Armenal, which focuses on the production
of thin foil for export to the U.S., Europe, and Middle East.

The foil mill was established in May 2000 and integrated into RUSAL.

ARMENIAN STUDENTS: THERE IS NO ROOM IN CANADA FOR A GENOCIDE DENIER

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.03.2009 01:58 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkish university professor and prominent Armenian
Genocide denier Turkkaya Atayov spoke to a packed, yet ideologically
divided audience in McGill University in Quebec, Canada.

A large number of Armenian students attended the contentious lecture
in protest, and questioned the McGill’s decision to allow a genocide
denier to speak on campus under the auspices of freedom of speech. Once
question period opened up, the forum deteriorated into a shouting
match between the Turkish and Armenian students in attendance, The
McGill Tribune reports.

Atayov rarely addressed the Armenian Genocide directly in the lecture,
instead choosing to talk about the need to question mainstream accounts
of history and the notion that an unfair standard of blame has been
placed upon the Turkish people.

As it is mentioned in the Article, "Atayov claimed that "Armenian
arguments" omit many facts, and made reference to the "slaughter"
of Turkish people by Armenians in the past. He largely sidestepped
the issue of genocide, however, instead asking those in attendance
to read the books and essays he has published on the subject in the
past in order to understand his argument that Armenian deaths in the
early 20th century should not be classified as genocide."

Before the lecture started, and at various points throughout it,
a group of about 10 students held up signs that said "There is no
room in Canada for a genocide denier" and "Denial is the last step
of genocide."

According to Mardig Taslakian, vice president external of the
Armenian Students’ Association, the ASA will file an equity complaint
against the Turkish Students’ Society of McGill University later
this week. Equity complaints are reviewed by the Students’ Society
and could result in sanctions against the TSSMU.

"What would the university’s reaction be if Neo-Nazis invited someone
to come and preach that the Holocaust didn’t happen?" Taslakian
said. "The Armenian genocide, like the Holocaust, is a well-proven,
indisputable fact. … The Armenian community feels offended that
a renowned institution like McGill would allow to say such hateful
things."

"There should be discussion of how to deal with the results of the
genocide, and not whether or not it happened," Taslakian said. "But
[Atayov] blamed the mass deaths of Armenians on a pandemic, among
other things, not on the genocide."

The Armenian Genocide is officially recognized by many organizations,
including the Human Rights Council of the United Nations, the
International Association of Genocide Scholars, and over 20 countries,
including Canada.

ARMENIA, ITALY WILLING TO FURTHER ECONOMIC COOPERATION

armradio.am
06.03.2009 17:17

The Prime Minister of Armenia, Tigran Sargsyan, received the Deputy
Foreign Minister of Italy, Alfredo Mantica and his delegation.

The Prime Minister noted that our country’s relations with Italy have
entered a new stage today, and Armenia is interested in promoting
the Armenian-Italian cooperation, especially in the field of economy.

Tigran Sargsyan and Alfredo Mantica underlined that although a number
of Italian companies are doing business in Armenia, the current
level of economic relations is far from being sufficient and does
not correspond to the potential of our countries.

The interlocutors informed each other about the steps taken in Armenia
and Italy in the direction of overcoming the global economic crisis.

During the meeting reference was made to Armenian-Italian cooperation
within the framework of the eastern Partnership Initiative, issues
of regional stability and security.

Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan presented Armenia’s position on the
peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict, and the Armenian-Turkish
relations.