Author: Tamamian Anna

POLITICAL PRISONERS NOT INCLUDED IN FIDH STATEMENT: HAK

Tert.am
09:40 21.05.10

In a statement released yesterday the Armenian National Congress (HAK)
refers to a statement by Human Rights International Federation (FIDH)
on the occasion of a discussion of human rights record in Armenia
held in the United Nation’s Human Rights Council.

HAK mentions that FIDH has joined to a series of records and
evaluations related also to March 1-2 events, such as violations
organized by authorities that caused deaths, the fact that those cases
have yet been properly examined, the independence of justice system,
restrictions on freedom of speech, media, rallies, illegally banning
independent TV channels from airing, etc.

"The fact that one of the most important issues – the existence of
political prisoners in Armenia – has not been involved in the list of
the really existing issues rouses suspicion, especially given that it
was seriously discussed during the discussion of the above-mentioned
UN report too," reads the statement.

Further HAK expresses hope that FIDH will find a way to correct
that lapse and include also the issue of political prisoners in
the statement.

ARMENIA’S ANTIMONOPOLY BODY, OSCE TO BOOST COOPERATION

PanARMENIAN.Net
May 21, 2010 – 19:40 AMT 14:40 GMT

Artak Shaboyan, the Chairman of the RA State Commission for the
Protection of Economic Competition (SCPEC), received Head of the OSCE
Office in Yerevan Sergey Kapinos and Coordinator of the OSCE national
programs on economic issues Tigran Sukiasyan.

"The Commission expects OSCE assistance in implementation of programs
on strategy for competition’s development, legislation reforms,
re-training of specialists, increasing the public’s awareness, etc,"
the Chairman of the SCPEC said.

The Head of the OSCE Yerevan Office said that, in his opinion, the
Commission plays an important role in Armenia’s economy. "We are ready
to assist in a range of programs, and I believe that any cooperation
can be fruitful, if it is systematized. I offer to sign a memorandum,
which will serve as a good basis for cooperation," said Mr. Kapinos.

The parties agreed to sign the memorandum during a week, the SCPEC
press service reported.

ISABELLA YALYAN WINS SILVER AT EUROPEAN YOUTH WEIGHTLIFTING CHAMPIONSHIPS

PanARMENIAN.Net
May 20, 2010 – 12:25 AMT 07:25 GMT

Lifting 163kg in the snatch, clean and jerk combination, Armenia’s
Isabella Yalyan won silver at the European Youth Weightlifting
Championships in Valencia, Spain.

As of today, Armenia has two gold and one silver medals.

Raffi Melikyan and Aren Nersesyan (w.c. 77kg), Azat Sayadyan (w.c.

85kg), Hamlet Poghosyan (w.c. 94kg), Misha Muradyan and Gor Minasyan
(w.c. +105kg) will enter the competition starting May 21.

ARMENIAN-RUSSIAN BUSINESS FORUM KICKS OFF IN YEREVAN
Liana Yeghiazaryan

"Radiolur"
20.05.2010 13:59

An Armenian-Russian business forum has kicked off in Yerevan today.

Businessmen from Russia’s Orenburg region and Armenia discuss the new
opportunities of development of cooperation and the ways to reinforce
the existing ties.

The Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Armenia and Orenburg signed
an agreement on cooperation with a view of raising the cooperation
between the parties to a qualitatively new level.

Although Russia is the largest investor in Armenia, the business ties
with Orenburg region are not that developed, Executive Director of
the Armenian Development Agency Robert Harutyunyan said.

President of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Armenia Martin
Sargsyan said "such meetings always help to increase the volume of
exports and imports."

FRANCE VOICES POSITION ON KARABAKH

news.az
May 20 2010
Azerbaijan

French State Secretary for European Affairs Pierre Lellouche has voiced
the position of his country on the resolution of the Karabakh conflict.

"OSCE is still an important instrument for provision of security,
especially considering the growing globalization of contemporary
challenges", French State Secretary for European Affairs Pierre
Lellouche said at the OSCE Standing Council, according to a statement
from OSCE.

According to Lellouche, France, which is co-chairing the Minsk Group,
supports the efforts of the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders on the
resolution of the Karabakh conflict.

He noted that the political negotiations are the only means to reach
solution.

ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES TRANSITION FROM EXPANSIONARY POLICY TO CURBING AND SPURRING MACROECONOMICS

/ARKA/
May 19, 2010
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, May 19. /ARKA/. Armenian Finance Minister Tigran Davtyan,
speaking Wednesday in Armenian National Assembly, said the government
announced transition from expansionary policy to the policy of curbing
and spurring macroeconomics.

"Armenian government and the central bank started taking all the steps
aimed at reducing the budget deficit," he said. "The Central Bank of
Armenia has raised the refinancing rate and has taken some drastic
monetary measures. We are moving from the expansionary policy pursued
amid the crisis to the policy of curbing and spurring macroeconomics."

On May 11, the Central Bank of Armenia raised the refinancing rate
by 0.25 percentage points to 7.25%.

Davtyan said that reduction of the budget deficit is among top-priority
focuses of Armenia’s 2010 economic policy, since risk of greater
budget deficit looms large as optimistic sentiments run high in
post-crisis period.

The minister said that the budget deficit is planned at 6% or AMD
193 billion in the 2010 state budget.

He said that the deficit will be shrinking gradually in the future.

Davtyan said that Armenia also faces the problem of raising pensions,
state benefits and salaries.

He thinks intensification of tax inflow in the state budget and growth
of taxes/GDP ratio would help the government solve this problem.

He said that the government is working in this direction in cooperation
with IMF experts. ($1 = AMD 384.48).

ARMENIA IMPLEMENTS WORKS TO PROTECT RIGHTS OF ARMENIANS RESIDING IN OTHER COUNTRIES

PanARMENIAN.Net
May 19, 2010 – 20:20 AMT 15:20 GMT

Armenian Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan said that the rights
of ethnic minorities are properly protected in Armenia, in contrast
to many other countries.

Answering a question of member of the Republican Party of Armenia
parliamentary group Shirak Torosyan, the Minister said that Armenia
implements relevant works within international structures to protect
the rights of Armenians residing in other countries.

There is a group of lawyers dealing with this problem, Hakobyan said
during a governmental hour in the RA National Assembly.

COMBA DEVELOPS WIRELESS SOLUTION FOR YEREVAN METRO
Michael Lacquiere

World Market Research Centre
Global Insight
May 18 2010

Comba Telecom Systems has completed the development of a turnkey
wireless solution for the provision of mobile telephony on the
Armenian underground in the capital city of Yerevan. Comba has
installed a dual-mode GSM and UMTS solution on the Yerevan Metro
rapid transit system, installing base stations for signal servicing,
implementing an active Distributed Antenna System (DAS) for station
platform coverage, and customising fibre-optic repeater systems for
seamless coverage and handover in and out of tunnels.

Significance:The development of mobile services on the underground
is an added boost to an already healthy Armenian mobile market.

Penetration in the sector reached 97% at the end of 2009 while
the market benefits from the presence of three GSM operators,
each of which is strongly backed by foreign owners with substantial
financial clout. With 3G having been introduced by the major players,
subscribers already have access to a range of value-added services
that transcend traditional voice offerings and the provision of
telephony on the Yerevan Metro–a service not yet developed in many
Western markets–further consolidates Armenia’s status as one of the
more mature markets of the CIS region.

TV DIGITALIZATION WILL COST $50-60 USD FOR EACH ARMENIAN FAMILY

Tert.am
18.05.10

The Armenian National Assembly has started the discussion of the
Government-proposed bill of amendments to the "Law about TV and Radio,"
that will see the Armenian television system digitalized.

Only 18 out of 24 TV channels will be aired as soon as these
amendaments are implemented. The amendaments envisage the
digitalization of 3 airing frequencies. Each of them will air
6 channels.

This licensing process of the Armenian TV channels will start from June
1 and will end by January 31,2011. The Government has alloted about
10-12 million AMD for the whole digitalization process. This includes
also compensation, from the state budget, for the socially vulnerable
class in an attempt to help them install special parts to their TVs
otherwise they will not be able to watch the digitalized TV channels.

The special parts mentioned will cost about $50-60 USD (19,200-23040
AMD per 384 exchange rate).

The digitalization process is planned to last till 2015.

Ironically, the Government proposed the bill to the National
Assembly’s approval as an obligatory one, while the NA Standing
Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport has not
managed to discuss the bill before it would have entered the four-day
parliamentary session that started on May 17.

USHER HALL CONCERT WILL RAISE MONEY FOR HAITI EARTHQUAKE ORPHANS
Tom Allan

guardian.co.uk
Thursday 13 May 2010 11.40 BST

Conan-Doyle themed event featuring Ami Batikian on the Sherlock Violin
will boost aid efforts of SOS Children

As relief work continues in post-earthquake Haiti, a special concert
will be held this Saturday at Usher Hall to raise money for SOS
Children, one of the charities involved in the country’s rebuilding
process.

SOS Children is the world’s largest charity for orphaned and abandoned
children, and runs over 500 children’s villages in 124 countries. It
already had an orphan’s village in Haiti before the quake, which
fortunately survived unharmed. But the charity’s community fundraising
coordinator, Mary Pountain, says the operation will need to expand
because the village has been inundated with orphans and children
separated from their families since the disaster.

Interview with Mary Pountain and Dr B Hauffe A further insight into
Haiti’s plight was offered by an Edinburgh GP who recently went to
the country to work with the emergency aid organisation Medecins Sans
Frontieres. Dr B Hauffe described what it was like working in a tented
hospital in the slum area of Port du Soleil, what motivated her to
volunteer, and reflected on the contrast with her work in Edinburgh.

The Usher Hall concert will belatedly mark the 150th anniversary
of the birth of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of the fictional
detective Sherlock Holmes, and will feature the Armenian violinist
Ani Batikian on the Sherlock Violin. The instrument was made last
year by Edinburgh violin maker Steve Burnett, who used the wood of
a 170-year-old sycamore which grew in the garden of Conan Doyle’s
childhood home. Below you can see a video of Batikian playing the
violin in the Edinburgh Botanical Gardens.