Author: Tamamian Anna

ARFD BUREAU MEMBER: MAIN NEGATIVE EVENT OF PASSING YEAR WAS USE OF TURKISH MODEL OF NORMALIZATION OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS BY AUTHORITIES

NOYAN TAPAN
December 21, 2009
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 21, NOYAN TAPAN. "Our government’s activity is not
adequate to the economic challenges our country is faced by," head of
the RA NA ARFD faction, ARFD Bureau member Vahan Hovhannisian stated
at a December 21 press conference.

Vice-Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on European Integration,
RPA member, economist Manvel Badeyan stated that no government in the
world can say exactly what steps are adequate under conditions of a
crisis. In his words, government is a body that can be criticized
always, at that, rightly. Nevertheless, according to M. Badeyan,
if the steps undertaken by the government are not ideal, they are
surely adequate.

Touching upon the political events of 2009 V. Hovhannisian considered
positive that the work of the NA Committee on Events Occurred on March
1 2008 was summed up at last. "The Committee worked efficiently, and
our faction agrees to its conclusion," V. Hovhannisian said. However,
in his words, it would be right to create one more committee to
monitoring the proposals mentioned in the conclusion. As V.

Hovhannisian added, the main negative event of the passing year
was use of the Turkish model of normalization of Armenian-Turkish
relations by the authorities.

M. Badeyan opposing to ARFD figure’s last observation said: "The
Armenian-Turkish protocols are not a result of brilliant idea, there
are many points we do not agree to, and they have been thrusted
upon us."

ARMENIAN TURCOLOGIST: ARMENIAN AND TURKISH JOURNALISTS GAIN INFORMATION ABOUT EACH OTHER FROM RUSSIAN-LANGUAGE AND AZERBAIJANI
mass media

ArmInfo
2009-12-21 17:32:00

ArmInfo. Armenia and Turkey have shortage of information about each
other. The surveys held in 2009 demonstrated that both Armenian and
Turkish journalists gain information about each other mainly from
Russian-language and Azerbaijani mass media, Armenian turcologist
Artak Shakaryan said at today’s press-conference.

Touching on the visit of Turkish journalists to Armenia, Shakaryan
pointed out that this visit provided them no opportunity to express
their viewpoint on the bilateral Protocols. According to him, the
Turkish journalists intended to tell Armenians that to open the border
with Armenia, Turkey needs at least a symbolic gesture by Yerevan in
the Karabakh peace process, like the Moscow Declaration 2008.

"Armenian-Turkish process and Karabakh peace process are going on in
parallel, but the first one is moving faster than the second one,
and probably Ankaka wants to send out a signal that it wants the
Karabakh peace process to be accelerated",- said Shakaryan.

He called that this was the second meeting of Armenian and Turkish
journalists after the meeting in Bursa, Turkey, on October 13-14. He
added that such events will also be held in 2010. Shakaryan expressed
hope that in 2010 a joint information center will be set up for
Armenian and Turkish journalists, and pointed out that the main
obstacle in this project is the lack of sponsors. He added that the
Turkish journalists, that visited Armenia, have already published
around 30 articles on this topic, and he thinks that they have
really managed to plausibly present the opinion of the Armenian
public about the current processes without distorting the words of
Armenian officials.

To recall, the delegation of Turkish journalists representing such
leading mass media of their country as CNN Turk, Milliyet, Sabah,
Hurriyet, NTV, Cumhuriyet, Aksam paid a visit to Armenia on 17-20
December. The event was part of the Eurasia Foundation’s project aimed
at development of impartiality of the two countries’ mass media. Under
the project, the Armenian and Turkish journalists held the first
meetings in Bursa on October 13-14. They analyzed the Armenian-Turkish
relations and the ways of their normalization. To note, the meetings of
both countries’ journalists were organized by the Eurasia Partnership
Foundation and Turkish center GPOT with the financial support of the
Norwegian Government and USAID. In course of the visit to Armenia,
the Turkish journalists also visited Tsitsernakaberd Memorial dedicated
to the Armenian Genocide victims and laid flowers at the eternal flame.

Science Letter
December 8, 2009

ATOMIC SCIENCE;
Findings from V.G. Petrosyan and co-authors provide new insights into
atomic science

"The nonlinear dynamic auto-oscillatory regimes of the temperature at
the exit from the core and of the power of nuclear reactors are
investigated and the quantitative features of the regimes are
determined. A physical-mathematical model of the dynamics of a
VVER-type nuclear reactor is examined, taking account of the inertial
(temperature) and instantaneous (power) feedbacks in the reactor but
neglecting the delayed neutrons," scientists in Yerevan, Armenia
report (see also Atomic Science).

"Analytical solutions characterizing the auto-oscillatory real-time
behavior of the temperature at the exit from the core and of the
reactor power are obtained. The period of these oscillations is
determined. The model constructed for the dynamics of a reactor is
used as a basis to simulate, using the RELAP5/Mod3.2 computer code,
certain nonlinear auto-oscillatory processes occurring in the first
and second loops of a nuclear power plant with a VVER-440 reactor,"
wrote V.G. Petrosyan and colleagues.

The researchers concluded: "It is found that the oscillations of the
temperature at the exit from the core and power of the nuclear reactor
generate the same period for processes which were calculated."

Petrosyan and colleagues published their study in Atomic Energy
(MODELING THE NONLINEAR DYNAMIC TEMPERATURE AND POWER OSCILLATIONS IN
VVER. Atomic Energy, 2009;107(1):18-23).

For additional information, contact V.G. Petrosyan, Armatom Research
Institute, Yerevan, Armenia.

The publisher’s contact information for the journal Atomic Energy is:
Springer, 233 Spring St., New York, NY 10013, USA.

THE NUMBER OF ARMENIA-TURKEY PASSENGERS GROWS

ArmInfo
2009-12-18 16:03:00

ArmInfo. Since 2000 the volume of passenger traffic has been growing by
20% per year, the head of Migration Agency under Armenian Territorial
Administration Ministry, Gagik Eganyan, told journalists today.

He also added that 17,5 thsd left Armenia for Turkey in 2000 and 14,6
thsd from Turkey to Armenia. In 2008 the total of 63,8 thsd people
left Armenia for Turkey and 64,4 thsd – Turkey for Armenia.

Eganyan said. He thinks that the passenger traffic will grow in case
of opening of the border between Armenia and Turkey. ‘This growth
will be conditioned by simplification of the border crossing and
reduction of the road expenses’, – he said.

STATE MIGRATION SERVICE FORMED IN ARMENIA

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
17.12.2009 19:35 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ At December 17 conference in Armavir, Armenian
Government passed a resolution on formation of "RA Territorial
Administration Ministry’s Migration Service Administration"
governmental institution, based on ministerial staff reformation
principle. Staff structure and institution’s regulation were also
sanctioned.

A number of alterations to provide legality of newly -formed
institution activities were introduced.

AAA SUBMITS TESTIMONY IN SUPPORT OF GENOCIDE AFFIRMATION AND PREVENTION

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
17.12.2009 10:59 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Human Rights
and the Law chaired by Senator Richard Durbin and ranking Member
Senator Tom Coburn held a first-ever Congressional hearing on U.S.

implementation of its human rights treaty obligations reported the
Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly).

"We commend Chairman Durbin’s commitment to human rights and the
Subcommittee’s continued efforts to bring these issues to the
forefront, stated Executive Director Bryan Ardouny.

"The Assembly looks forward to working together with Congress and the
Members of the Judiciary Subcommittee to bring about an end to the
vicious cycle of genocide and give true meaning to the words never
again," added Ardouny.

In the Assembly’s testimony before the distinguished Subcommittee on
Human Rights and the Law, Executive Director Bryan Ardouny applauded
the Committee’s "pioneering work" and noted that the "treaties under
review embody the spirit of America’s values and our ongoing commitment
to human rights."

Highlighting the "groundbreaking [U.S.] humanitarian intervention
during the first genocide of the twentieth century against the Armenian
people, which U.S. Ambassador Henry Morgenthau to the Ottoman Empire
described as a ‘campaign of race extermination,’" the Assembly focused
in particular on the United Nations Convention for the Prevention
and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Genocide Convention).

The Assembly recalled the 1951 U.S. filing before the International
Court of Justice (ICJ), pertaining to the Genocide Convention, which
stated that the "Roman persecution of the Christians, the Turkish
massacres of Armenians, the extermination of millions of Jews and Poles
by the Nazis are all outstanding examples of the crime of genocide."

Despite the incontrovertible facts, the Assembly’s testimony indicated
that "Time and time again, and especially in the case of U.S.

reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide, we have seen the effects of
entrenched interests that thwart genocide affirmation and prevention
efforts. In fact, millions upon millions of dollars by foreign entities
have been spent to deny the Armenian Genocide, and in turn the proud
chapter in American history in alerting the world to man’s inhumanity
to man and marshalling resources to help save the survivors."

Given the corrosive nature of genocide denial, the Assembly
highlighted the importance of education and affirmation as an
effective counterweight, and urged Members of the Subcommittee
to cosponsor legislation (S.Res. 316) introduced by Senator Robert
Menendez along with Senator John Ensign, which reaffirms the Armenian
Genocide. Ardouny also invoked Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel poignant
words, "Remember: silence helps the killer, never his victims."

The Assembly also called for the enactment of "a strong education
component…to address the ongoing consequences of genocide denial,
the case of the Armenian Genocide being a prime example. The testimony
concluded with President Barack Obama’s 2008 statement that "America
deserves a leader who speaks truthfully about the Armenian Genocide
and responds forcefully to all genocides."

THE ECONOMY IS IN DANGER

Lragir.am
17/12/09

The chair of the WB Yerevan office Aristomane Varudakis dwelt on the
fact that the resistibility of the Armenian economy is to be enhanced
because since it is not diversified, it is in danger.

In particular, Varudakis noted that "in practice, it is impossible
to diversify the economy if the level of corruption in the tax and
customs spheres is not equal to zero and the role of oligopolies is
not decreased in the market and in the economy". Varudakis noted that
necessary political will is needed to struggle against oligopolies
in order to reveal the connection of some officials and oligopolies.

WB Yerevan office head noted that there are three preconditions for
the enhancement of Armenian economy’s resistibility: the first is
that big possibilities are to be provided for the major investors,
and the second is that a more favorable investment sphere is to
be created for which Varudakis considers important the decrease of
corruption level within structures collecting income. And the third
is that Armenia has to make investments in the spheres of technology,
infrastructures, informational technologies for the Armenian economy
to become competitive.

MICROSOFT RA ORGANIZES TRAINING COURSES FOR TEACHERS OF ARMENIAN UNIVERSITIES

ArmInfo
2009-12-17 16:44:00

ArmInfo. Today Microsoft RA held training courses for teachers of
Armenian universities.

The courses involved rectors, vice principals, heads of IT departments
of Armenian universities, representatives of the Ministry of Education
of Armenia and the World Bank. Head of Training Program of Microsoft
Armenia Kristine Gyonjyan says that during the courses experts of
Microsoft and partner companies from Moscow shared their experience in
the field of education concerning electronic tools that make lessons
more innovative and efficient. The key topics of the courses were ways
to adapt education system to the conditions of information society,
experience of managing universities in information society, electronic
university, modernization of education system in information society,
federal and local projects.

On Dec 16 Microsoft named two winners of Innovative Teachers
competition, who will present their projects at European contest in
Germany in Mar 2010.

Microsoft Armenia was established in 2006.

SPANISH-ARMENIAN CONSULTING COMPANY TO OPERATE IN YEREVAN

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
16.12.2009 16:36 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Ceremonial event dated to
"Barbera-Lupicinio-Z.Megrhryan investment advocacy" Spanish-Armenian
consulting company opening. The event was attended by RA Deputy
Economy Minister Ara Petrosyan, "Lupicinio Eversheds" international
juridical company founder Lupicinio Rodriguez, Honorary consul of
Armenia in Spain Luis Barbera Zapatero, Zinavor Megrhryan and other
high-ranking officials.

As Economy Ministry spokesman Gayane Vardanyan told PanARMENIAN.Net
reporter, creation of a joint consulting company is a result of
Armenian-Spanish business forum held in September 2009. "Even then,
Spanish entrepreneurs took interest in some of our business projects.

Soon an opportunity occurred for their implementation," she said.

According to her, company activities are aimed at activation of
bilateral economic relations, with the company acting as a mediator
between Armenian and Spanish business communities and providing
consulting services for investment projects’ implementation.

At present, Spanish entrepreneurs are interested in such projects as
Northern -Southern highway construction, waste processing programs
and tourism development.

MARXIST PARTY OF ARMENIA QUITS ANC

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
15.12.2009 13:56 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ David Hakobyan, the leader of Marxist Party of
Armenia, announced Tuesday that his party secedes from the Armenian
National Congress.

"The bloc has failed to become a force capable to generate a new
national idea and foreign and domestic policy doctrine," Hakobyan
told reporters. "A new political force should be formed to resolve
problems the Armenian society faces."

Asked what political forces his party intends to collaborate with,
Hakobyan said, "First of all with God, then with the Armenian people."