Author: Vorskanian Yeghisabet

TURKISH AMBASSADOR LEAVES FOR U.S. AFTER GENOCIDE ROW

Xinhua General News Service
April 6, 2010 Tuesday 4:10 AM EST
China

Turkish Ambassador in Washington Namik Tan left for the United States
on Tuesday, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.

"Our interlocutors understood the message we wanted to give. We have
received satisfactory answers. It is time to return to my office,"
Tan was quoted by the report as saying.

On March 4, Turkey temporarily recalled its ambassador to the United
States minutes after a U.S. congressional panel approved a resolution
concerning Turkey.

The resolution on Armenian allegations related to the incidents in
1915 was adopted at the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on
Foreign Affairs in a voting of 23-22.

Turkey strongly rejected the genocide allegations and regarded the
events as civil strife in wartime which claimed lives of many Turks
and Armenians.

Tan said that "I will welcome Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in
Washington at the weekend."

Erdogan will travel to the United States to attend the International
Nuclear Security Summit due to be held in Washington on April 12
and 13.

Turkey and Armenia have been bogged down in the row over the deaths
of Armenians and have no diplomatic or economic ties since Armenia
declared its independence in 1991.

Turkey and Armenia signed two protocols in October to normalize
relations, however, parliaments of the two countries have not passed
them yet.

LOCAL RESIDENTS MAY BE ENGAGED IN CLEARING OF NEAR-SHORE TERRITORIES OF LAKE SEVAN

ArmInfo
2010-04-07 20:04:00

ArmInfo. The local residents may be engaged in clearing of the
near-shore territories of Lake Sevan, which may find themselves under
the water as a result of the lake water rising.

Chairwoman of the Association for Human Sustainable Development
Karine Danielyan said at today’s press-conference in Yerevan that
the measures on clearing the near-shore territories are not efficient.

"The trees and garbage find themselves under the water, and this
leads to bogging of the lake. During one of the discussions, Head of
the Agency of Biological Resources Management of the Armenian Nature
Protection Ministry Artashes Ziroyan said that the plants under the
water are no threat, as they become food for the fish. I disagree
with this pointblank and I think that the failure to clear the given
territories in due time is extremely dangerous for the lake",- stressed
K.Danielyan. She pointed out that earlier she repeatedly suggested
involving the local population in timber extraction, however, this
suggestion has been rejected as the residents would not be engaged
in the stubbing. "However, at a recent meeting Head of the Armenian
Presidential Administration Karen Karapetyan agreed with the fact
that the local residents can also be involved in clearing of the
territories, moreover, the control over the given work may be laid
on the Armenian Nature Protection Ministry",- she said.

To note, according to specialists, having risen to 1905 m above the sea
level, the Sevan will flood 2789 ha of forests about 1.2 bln AMD will
bee needed to carry out the clearing work. In 2009 600 ha of forest
were cleared, 257 mln AMD were allocated for the given work. At the
same time, Chairman of the Commission for Main Issues of Lake Sevan
Vladimir Movsisyan also admitted the fact that at the moment there
are plots under the water, which need to be stubbed.

RUSSIA AND ARMENIA SIGN AGREEMENT ON RESERVING EQUIPMENT FOR ARMENIAN NUCLEAR POWER PLANT’S NEW REACTOR

ARKA
Apr 6, 2010

YEREVAN, April 6, /ARKA/. Russian state nuclear energy agency Rosatom
and Armenia’s ministry of energy and natural resources signed an
agreement late last month on reserving equipment for a Russian AES-92
pressurized light-water reactor that will be installed at the new
reactor of the Armenian nuclear power plant, Russian RIA Novosti news
agency reported. The agreement was signed March 26 by Rosatom chief
Sergey Kiriyenko and Armenian energy and natural resources minister
Armen Movsisyan. It came as a follow-up to an agreement reached by
the sides last October 23, RIA Novosti said.

Last year the Armenian government approved a decision on establishment
of a joint Armenian-Russian company to deal with construction of a new
unit for Armenian nuclear power plant. Construction of a new nuclear
power unit will be managed by the Australian Worley Parsons engineering
company that won a tender announced by the Armenian government.

Armenia wants to replace the aging Metsamor plant by 2017. With
a projected capacity of 1,060 megawatts, the new facility would be
more than twice as powerful as Metsamor’s sole operating reactor that
generates more than 40% of Armenia’s electricity and will serve for
60 years and secure European safety level.

The Armenian government has yet to attract funding for the project
which is estimated to cost as much as $5 billion. In an attempt to
attract foreign investors Armenian parliament revoked a state monopoly
on ownership of nuclear power facilities. Construction is expected to
start in 2011. Under a 2003 agreement Armenian nuclear power plant’s
financial flows are managed by Russian Inter RAO UES, owned by Russian
state-run Rosatom corporation. The agreement expires in 2013.

Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN)
T +995 32 75 19 03/04
F +995 32 75 19 05
<mailto:[email protected]> [email protected]
<;

International Conference on Climate Change Curricula in Higher Education

7-9 June 2010 Tbilisi

The U.S. National Science Foundation has funded a conference to bring
together expertise from the Southern Caucasus and the United States to
exchange international perspectives on climate change curricula in higher
education. The conference will also provide an informal forum for
participants to discuss climate change research and policy development. The
conference will provide multiple opportunities for participants to discuss
their work, including oral and poster presentations, panel discussions, and
field excursions to areas of climate change impact.

Applications to participate must be submitted by 3 May 2010. Support is
available for travel and lodging for applicants from Armenia, Azerbaijan,
and Georgia who are traveling from outside of Tbilisi. Further information,
including the application form, please visit the conference website at

DEPUTY MINISTER OF FINANCE: GROWTH OF IMPORTS AN ADVANCE AGAINST FUTURE ECONOMIC GROWTH IN ARMENIA

Arminfo
2010-04-06 10:24:00

ArmInfo. Growth of imports in Armenia may guarantee future economic
growth judging by its current structure, said Deputy Minister of
Finance Vardan Aramyan in a press conference on Monday.

Commenting on the 16.8% imports growth for Jan-Feb 2010 versus the same
period of the previous year, the deputy minister said that import of
equipment was the largest in total. "Last year the government extended
VAT for import of equipment in the amount of over 300 million drams
for 3 years. That decision encouraged many businessmen to modernize
their productions, which boosted the imports. All this implies more
active rehabilitation of economy and reduction of unemployment,"
V. Aramyan said. He recalled, the National Statistical Service
reported 7.3% unemployment for Feb 2010 which was the same as in Jan
2010. "Unemployment in the country grew till the end of 2009.

In January 2010 it grew as well, whereas in February the growth
stopped for the first time over a long period of time," the deputy
minister said.

In this context, Artsvik Minasyan, parliamentarian (ARFD), Vice
Chairman of the Parliamentary Commission for Finance and Budget,
came out for comparison of the theoretically right decisions with
their putting in practice. "There are several examples when the
customs authorities delayed import of equipment "backed by" all the
necessary documents just because of bureaucratic hurdles. For instance,
a businessman earlier declared he would import a 6-ton scales but
imported a 12-ton scales since he could buy them on more favorable
terms. However, this difference was enough for customs officers to
create serious obstacles to import," A. Minasyan said.

4 dead in ‘blood bath’ at Valley restaurant

At least two other people are injured as gunman opens fire at a mom-and-pop
cafe in Valley Village.

April 03, 2010|By My-Thuan Tran and Andrew Blankstein

A gunman opened fire at a mom-and-pop restaurant in Valley Village on
Saturday afternoon, killing four people and wounding at least two others,
Los Angeles police said.

The Hot Spot Cafe, a Mediterranean restaurant on Riverside Drive, was packed
with customers when a man walked in and opened fire around 4:40 p.m.,
according to police officials.

He remained at large late Saturday.

Police officials said the shootings occurred in a matter of moments.

After shots were fired, the customers ran out of the restaurant and
scattered on foot and in cars, they said.

The killer was a white male in his 30s, said Los Angeles police officer
Rosario Herrera.

Three people were declared dead at the scene, Herrera said. Several more
victims were taken to a hospital, where one later died, she said.

Police officials investigating the incident described the scene as a "blood
bath." They are examining evidence to see whether there was an accomplice,
according to officials.

"At this moment, it is an ongoing investigation," Herrera said. "We are
unsure of the motive and we don’t know exactly how it occurred." Law
enforcement sources, who asked not to be identified because the
investigation is ongoing, said they believe the shooting might have involved
Armenian gangs.But they also said that they have no evidence that the
victims were involved in gangs, noting that the case is in its early stages.

Several hours after the killings, police cordoned off Riverside Drive near
Colfax Avenue.

A large neon sign flashing "Mediterranean Restaurant" lit up as the sun set.
Tall leafy plants in pots sat in front of the windows.

A few hours before the shooting in Valley Village, two men were fatally shot
across town in the 160 block of E. 65th Street, Herrera said. The shooter
was at large Saturday night. Herrera said the two shooting incidents
probably were not related.

The shootings come after a series of killings in the last two weeks that
have diminished gains made this year in reducing the city’s homicide rate.

[email protected]
andrew.blankstein @latimes.com
Times staff writer Ruben Vives contributed to this report.

esctoday.com
April 3 2010

Warm welcome ceremony in Thessaloniki

Armenia: Eva Rivas visits Greece

Eva Rivas, who is going to represent Armenia in the Eurovision Song
Contest 2010, is already in Greece, promoting her song Apricot stone.

Eva Rivas was very warmly accepted by the Thessaloniki municipality
officials. Shortly after the welcome ceremony, the Armenian team
planted apricot trees, symbolizing a part of Armenia in Greece. Eva
was also interviewed by Greek TV channels, to which she said that she
is very happy to visit Greece, because this country is a part of her
motherland too, as far as her grandmother is Greek. Finally, she
performed a small part of her entry Apricot stone.

On the 3rd of April, she will perform in Thessaloniki along with other
Armenian singers. On the 5th of April, Eva will head to Athens.

You can watch Eva Rivas being welcomed in Thessaloniki in the video below.

YURI MERZLYAKOV: ARMENIAN SIDE EXPRESSED DISAGREEMENT WITH SOME POINTS

Noyan Tapan
Apr 2, 2010

MOSCOW, APRIL 2, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The negotiating
process on the Nagorno Karabakh problem settlement is quite serious,
which necessitated a regional trip of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs,
the Russian Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Yuri Merzlyakov said
in Stepanakert on Sunday. Following an hour and a half meeting with
Karabakh leadership, the mediators declared that the discussion
was meaningful.

Y. Merzlyakov said the process of coming to an agreement on the
proposals made by the co-chairs in late 2009 is underway.

According to him, the Armenian side has already expressed its
disagreement with some points. "However, we do not complicate the issue
because exactly two years ago there was a similar situation with the
Madrid Priciples when the Armenian side accepted them, but not fully –
as it turns out now, whereas the Azerbaijani side did not accept so we
did a lot of work to come to a common denominator," Merzlyakov noted.

He said that on the whole, the sides have reached an agreement on
the Madrid Principles, except for 4 points.

The French co-chair Bernard Fassier underlined that the negotiations
over the Madrid Principles are still continuing, and the fact that
from time to time the sides reach an agreement on these principles
is a serious one, so there are some aspects of mutual understanding.

In response to Radio Liberty’s question about what was done by the
OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs supportive of peaceful settlement to stop
shots which have recently become frequent along the front line, B.

Fassier replied: "War cannot be an option, and we often say this
everywhere. We continue to believe that it is impossible to solve this
problem by war. If a war starts, neither the history nor geography
will change and the problem will get more complicated."

When asked if there was any progress in organizing a meeting of the
presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Astana – in connection with
the proposal of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Yuri Merzlyakov said
they were aware of that proposal, but it does not mean that they had
made the proposal and participated in it.

In his words, it was his last regional visit as Russian co-chair:
"I will get a new appointment soon, and the name of my successor will
become known in the near future".

ARMENIA MAY BECOME WORLD LEADER BY REPLACEMENT OF OIL AND GAS RESOURCES

ArmInfo
2010-04-01 16:49:00

ArmInfo. Armenia may get an image of a world leader by replacement of
oil and gas resources, i.e. a country with big surplus of electric
power, said Abel Aghanbekyan, a member of the Russian Academy of
Science, during the official presentation of his new book "Economy
of Russia on the Crossroad. Selection of the Post-Crisis Area."

Academician Aghanbekyan believes that there are all the necessary
and quite favorable conditions for power engineering development in
Armenia. The country has significant hydro resources. In addition,
he said that such a leading country as Russia has an opportunity and
desire to build a big power unit in Armenia. The project planning is
underway. The energy resources generated in the country will be in
demand by neighbor Turkey, Iran and even Iraq where electric power
tariff are rather high, he said. The academician recalled that 8
small power stations have already been built in Armenia and another 70
stations will be built in future. "Armenia have favorable conditions
to produce bio-fuel, and first of all, topinambur. In addition,
Armenia has an energy ministry with highly qualified staff," the
academician said. He considers himself among few people who visited
all the big enterprises in the country to get first hand view of
their potential. Thus, he believes that collective work revealed 11
so-called clusters that may become a locomotive for development of
Armenia. The academician believes that these clusters may help the
country progress, increase economic and social level.

Aghanbekyan thinks that Armenia is the only country in the world
where the share of industry in GDP is lower than the share of trade,
agriculture and construction. Export makes up just 13% of GDP, unlike
other countries of the same scale where this indicator is at least 30%
of GDP. Armenia is a very peculiar country. It is a country of one
city – Yerevan, where 80% of housing construction and the greatest
part of retail trade are concentrated. In the meanwhile, only 44% of
the total population resides in Yerevan. Such a gap between the city
and the periphery is inadmissible, the academician said. Therefore,
he said, clusters must be created also in the regions.

ANKARA STANDS BEHIND ITS SIGNATURES: TURKIS DEPUTY PM

Tert.am
15:23 ~U 01.04.10

Turkey backs and is responsible for the signatures it placed on
the Armenia-Turkey agreements and documents, said Turkish Deputy
Prime Minister Cemil Cicek at a press conference after a Council of
Ministers session, according to Turkish daily Zaman.

When asked in the context of statements by Armenia on possibly halting
the process, how will the Protocols process continue, Cicek said,
"If there’s a need to make any statements on any issues, the Foreign
Ministry makes it. Be it an agreement or any other document, Turkey
backs and is responsible for the signature it affixes to them. But
these developments happen beyond our will."

"All the world should see that if the process is being sabotaged,
then not Turkey, but the other side is to blame. One of the main
reasons the process got blocked was the ruling by the Constitutional
Court of Armenia," added Cicek.