Author: Talalian Arpi

US RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN "GENOCIDE" NOT THE END OF WORLD

news.az
Dec 28 2009
Azerbaijan

Murat Sungar If Armenia withdrew from at least a part of the occupied
lands of Azerbaijan, Ankara will have its hands untied.

Turkish political scientist Murat Sungar, famous for his closeness
to the ruling circles of Turkey, completely ruled out possible
ratification of the Turkish-Armenian protocols without achievements
in the Karabakh issues in his interview with Milliyet newspaper.

"The European Union will start putting pressure on Turkey about
ratification of these ill-fated protocols beginning from February
but Ankara will not do it. Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan promised to
Azerbaijan not to open borders without a breakthrough in the Karabakh
issue", the political scientist said.

"If Armenia withdrew from at least a part of the occupied lands
of Azerbaijan, Ankara will have its hands untied. It could have
satisfied Azerbaijan, the West and Armenia. Yet, I do not believe
that Yerevan will take this step as it is too dependent on external
players to take this step by itself. Therefore, Turkey should just
constantly pester Russia, US and Europe for them to force Armenia
accept these provisions. But if it fails, it does not matter whether
Obama recognizes "genocide" or not. I do not see any benefit of
Israel from the recognition of holocaust. What will happen if the
United States recognize the "genocide"? Will they take away our lands?

It is not the end of world even if they recognize the so-called
"genocide". On the contrary, we will get rid of this problem once
and forever", he said.

PROBLEMS WITH RATIFICATION OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH PROTOCOLS CREATED ONLY BY TURKEY: RPA PRESS-SECRETARY

ArmInfo
2009-12-28 12:25:00

ArmInfo. Armenia has no intention to fight for normalization of
relations with Turkey by all means, Eduard Sharmazanov, Press-Secretary
of the Republican Party of Armenia, parliamentarian, said in a press
conference on Monday.

He said the stance of the ruling party has not been changed. Armenia
is ready to ratify the protocols signed in Zurich without
pre-conditions. Only Turkey creates problems for ratification of
these documents trying to link the Armenian-Turkish process with
settlement of the Karabakh conflict, Sharmazanov said. The world
community must understand that the Armenian authorities do not wish
for normalization of relations with Turkey by all means possible. The
process will not touch our national interests, he said. Sharmazanov
also added that Turkey should not have been signed the Protocols if
he had no intention to ratify them.

Armenia and Turkey signed the "Protocol on the establishment
of diplomatic relations" and the "Protocol on the development of
bilateral relations" in Zurich on October 10. Afterwards, the Turkish
Foreign Ministry submitted the protocols to the Foreign Relations
Committee of the Turkish Parliament. The final resolution was to be
made before December 7, but wasn’t. To come into effect the protocols
must be submitted to the respective Parliaments for the ratification
on each side.

YEREVAN HOSTS FIRST POLITICAL CONSULTATIONS BETWEEN RA AND UAE FOREIGN MINISTRIES

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
25.12.2009 17:08 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The first political consultations between the Foreign
Ministries of Armenia and United Arab Emirates were held Friday in
RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Armenian delegation was headed by
Deputy FM Arman Kirakosyan, while UAE delegation was headed by the
country’s First Deputy Foreign Minister Tarek Al Heydan.

The consultations were held in two stages, the first stage devoted to
political, regional and international issues and the second focusing
on trade-economic and cultural-educational cooperation. Armenian
side expressed willingness to extend political ties with United
Arab Emirates.

Parties also discussed regional issues, attaching major importance to
peaceful settlement of Near East conflict. UAE Deputy FM introduced
Arab countries’ approach to the problem.

UAE delegation also met with RA Vice Premier, Minister of Territorial
Administration Armen Gevorgyan and Minister of Economy Nerses
Yeritsyan, RA MFA press service reports.

THE ISSUE OF OLIGOPOLY

Lragir.am
25/12/09

During a press conference on December 25, Tigran Sargsyan, at the
request of reporters, dwelt on the issue of fight against oligopoly.

Earlier, the Prime Minister had stated that Armenia has to ensure equal
competitive conditions for the development of economy. Going into
details and dwelling on oligopolies and monopolies, Tigran Sargsyan
said oligopoly does not mean monopoly. Tigran Sargsyan noted the
measures of the committee for the defense of economic competition
are to be enhanced, as well as its analyzing possibilities. Besides,
Tigran Sargsyan said we need to better the tax administration as well
as to set mechanisms through making amendments to the legislative field
which will enable to set clearly an official’s being a proprietor for
the responsibility to be also clear. According to Tigran Sargsyan,
our officials have right to own a property because the mechanism of
separation is not clear, it is difficult to speak by concrete names.

According to Tigran Sargsyan, the problem is in the system and
nothing is decided by one or two people. "Oligopolies do not stand for
monopolies because we have decades of enterprises in numerous fields
that provide goods for different fields, carry out services but the
same, we register that there are oligopolies", says Tigran Sargsyan.

According to him, decades of enterprises reconciled with the current
rules of the game and this is the problem and not the fact that there
is corruption within the governmental system which the prime minister
himself admits.

Tigran Sargsyan notes that the adoption of the tax package was an
important step on the way of the solution of this problem which set for
500 major enterprises to release their audit data and audit is going
to be obligatory for such companies. "The works in these directions,
within 4-5 years, will give their fruits", says Tigran Sargsyan.

WHEN MARCH 1 TOPIC WILL BE CLOSED

Lragir.am
23/12/09

"Until the Nuremberg trial did not take place, the Second World War
topic was not closed down. Until such a trial does not take place
in Armenia, the March 1 topic will not be closed down", said the HAK
coordinator Levon Zurabyan. He noted that the efforts of the government
to see the March 1 topic closed is in vain and it will not succeed
until the real criminals are not revealed. Levon Zurabyan noted that
one of the proofs that the March 1 topic is not over is that the PACE
co-reporters on Armenia Prescott and Colombier are going to note in
their report which is to be heard in January that the Police did not
act adequately and legally on March 1.

According to Levon Zurabyan’s assessment, the co-reporters tried and
managed to present the truth in the report at the same time remaining
in the frameworks of diplomatic compliments which corresponds to the
strategy of western structures.

Nevertheless, Levon Zurabyan says the fact that the report of
the co-reporters will be discussed in January proves that the NA
commission headed by Samvel Nikoyan to study March 1 was just trying
to confirm the official version of the government and in their work
all the facts were purposely mutated.

GLENDALE HILLS TO HOUSE 1056 FAMILIES IN GYUMRI AFTER NEW YEAR HOLIDAYS

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.12.2009 14:47 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Glendale Hills construction company will house
1056 families in Gyumri after New Year holidays, company’s Director
General Vahe Almoyan said.

"Our company’s program costing AMD 33.3 million envisages construction
of 54 four-storey houses in Mush-2 and Ani regions of Gyumri. In 2009,
we constructed 22 buildings, with a total number of 1056 apartments,"
Almoyan told journalists in Yerevan.

At that, he noted that the houses under construction can resist up
to 9 magnitude earthquake.

"Construction works in calamity zone will be accomplished in January
2011," Mr. Almoyan said.

ELECTRONIC DOCUMENT TURNOVER SYSTEM FOR ARMENIAN TAX PAYERS TO BE INTRODUCED IN 2010

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.12.2009 17:02 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Electronic document turnover system for tax payers
will be introduced in January-February 2010.

As Accountants and Auditors Association chairman Mels Petrosyan told
PanARMENIAN.Net reporter, Microsoft Company is in charge of relevant
software development. The initial version of software document was
presented last week; the company envisions software introduction in
Armenia in 2010.

As the Association chairman noted, electronic document turnover
introduction is a call of the times.

The Association is collaborating with international structures,
specifically, WB experts and International Accountants’ Association
to promote professional development of Armenian entrepreneurs in
legislative and tax accounting sphere, to which end seminars and
training programs are being conducted on a permanent basis.

ARMENIA NEEDS TO CHANGE ITS ECONOMIC POLICY

PanARMENIAN.Net
22.12.2009 19:45 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ If the economic policy of Armenia is implemented in
the same way anymore, we would become a tenth-rate country, Larisa
Alaverdyan , secretary of the Heritage parliamentary group told a
press conference in Yerevan. According to her, the political forces
do not make any changes in economic policy.

"Our budget does not provide housing for 10,000 people who have no
shelter," she said, adding that the majority of people deprived of
apartments during the Spitak earthquake have not been provided with
flats so far.

The economic policy of authorities leads to increased impoverishment
and the number of poor.

HAYASTAN ALL-ARMENIAN FUND PROVIDES ESSENTIAL FURNITURE TO 85 ARTSAKH SCHOOLS

armradio.am
22.12.2009 12:35

The Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s second major school-furniture
project, launched in August of this year, is nearing completion. The
beneficiaries of the initiative are 85 schools across Artsakh –
including those in the cities of Stepanakert and Shushi as well
as the regions of Askeran, Martakert, Martuni, Hadrut, Shahumyan,
and Kashatagh. The campuses will receive various furniture items
essential to teachers and students alike. The project is sponsored
by the Armenia Fund U.S. Western Region.

The donated furniture, which includes more than 1,000 teacher chairs
and 1,300 cabinets, is being manufactured by the HATM company of
Gyumri, Armenia. To date a large proportion of the order has been
fulfilled and shipped to Artsakh. The furniture will be distributed
by the Artsakh Ministry of Education, with priority given to schools
that need immediate assistance.

"High-quality school amenities are of course a prerequisite to
a productive learning environment," said Ara Vardanyan, executive
director of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund. "The new furniture donated
to schools in Artsakh will help ensure creature comforts and ultimately
play its role in contributing to scholastic achievement."

Earlier this year, the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s French affiliate
sponsored the provision of new furniture to more than 100 schools in
Artsakh. The initiative has resulted in comfortable and well-appointed
classrooms as well as science and computer labs for over 10,000
students.

2009 WAS A YEAR OF OVERCOMING POLITICAL CRISIS IN ARMENIA

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
21.12.2009 15:46 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ 2009 was a year of overcoming the political crisis
which started on March 1, 2008, said Naira Zohrabyan, member of
Prosperous Armenia party.

Joint efforts of coalition and opposition forces enabled Armenian
authorities to overcome the political crisis, she told a press
conference in Yerevan on Monday.

"Although we still have much to do, we are on the right path," the
MP said. According to her, "we can achieve political and economic
stability in 2010."

"2009 marked the beginning of normalization of Armenian-Turkish
relations, a process which opened a new chapter in establishing
relations with neighboring countries," she said. "The Karabakh conflict
settlement has also entered a new phase."

Naira Zohrabyan recalled that a new bill amending the law on mass media
is already circulated. "It is necessary to suppress the prevailing
lawlessness, when the media often offends human dignity," she said.