Author: Zargarian Hambik

EDWARD NALBANDYAN DISPROVES INFORMATION ABOUT AVAILABILITY OF NEW DOCUMENTS ON ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS

ArmInfo
2010-05-21 12:04:00

ArmInfo. There are no new documents between Armenia and Turkey
regarding normalization of the bilateral relations. This is an absolute
lie which needs no comment, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan
said at today’s press-conference.

To note, deputy chairman of the Turkish ruling party ‘Justice and
Development’ Suat Kiniklioglu has recently said there is a new document
on the negotiating table between Armenia and Turkey and its promotion
depends on the Armenian party which may accept it or not.

NEW ARMENIAN GOVERNOR WARNS MEDIA
Satenik Vantsian

ticle/2049383.html
21.05.2010

Armenia — Ashot Gizirian, the new governor of Shirak region, undated

A former high-ranking police official threatened to shun journalists
"distorting" his statements as he took over as governor of Armenia’s
northwestern Shirak province on Friday.

Ashot Gizirian was named by President Serzh Sarkisian to run the
region bordering Turkey on Thursday. Deputy Prime Minister Armen
Gevorgian introduced him to the regional administration staff in
Shirak’s capital Gyumri the next day.

Speaking to journalists afterwards, Gizirian pledged to be "open and
transparent" to mass media. But he also warned, after telling them to
switch off cameras and voice recorders, that he "will not cooperate"
with those media outlets which he thinks misrepresent his statements.

Shirak is home to over a dozen television and ration stations and
newspapers. One of them, GALA TV, has been at loggerheads with
the local and central governments since 2007 and is still at risk
of closure. Also, Yerevan-based media outlets have correspondents
in Gyumri.

Asked about reasons for his surprise appointment, Gizirian said:
"It happened so that I started my professional activities in the
Shirak region. I think may appointment has to do with that."

Gevorgian, who is also Armenia’s minister of local self-government,
gave the same reason. "Ashot Gizirian’s appointment was conditioned
by the fact that most of his professional life was spent in the Shirak
region," he told reporters. "He knows the region very well and, despite
working in Yerevan in recent years, has not stayed away from it."

A native of Nagorno-Karabakh, Gizirian served as head of Shirak’s
police department from 1996-2000 before being promoted more high-level
security posts in Yerevan. He ran the powerful Sixth Directorate of
the Armenian police, tasked with combating organized crime and drug
trafficking, from 2002-2008. The feared police unit is believed to
have been actively involved in the 2008 post-election crackdown on
the Armenian opposition.

Shortly after Sarkisian was sworn in as president of the republic in
April 2008, Gizirian became the chief of an investigating arm of the
Armenian government’s main tax collection agency. The police general
was appointed last year as head of a Justice Ministry department
managing Armenia’s prisons.

BIG NAMES AT MAHAK BENEFIT CONCERT

Press TV
May 20 2010
Iran

Photo: Loris Tjeknavorian is a contemporary Iranian-Armenian composer
and conductor

Iranian musician Loris Tjeknavorian is to conduct the Armenian chamber
orchestra at benefit concerts for Tehran’s Mahak Charity Society from
May 26 to June 2.

Iranian Santour virtuoso Ardavan Kamkar and prominent Kamancheh player
Ardeshir Kamkar will also have solo performances in the program,
the Mehr News Agency said on Wednesday.

This is the orchestra’s third benefit concert organized by the Mahak
Charity Society, an institute that supports Iranian children suffering
from cancer. The proceeds from the concerts will be spent on providing
services for the children struggling with cancer.

The orchestra performed several pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach
and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart during the previous programs as well as
Kurdish and Iranian suites and pieces composed by Tjeknavorian.

EMIL SOGHOMONYAN: CBA, COMMERCIAL BANKS COORDINATING ACTIVITIES

PanARMENIAN.Net
May 19, 2010

The Central Bank of Armenia and commercial banks are coordinating
activities.

"It’s corrects, as it’s the demand of the market," Prometey Bank
board chairman Emil Soghomonyan told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. "The
Central Bank took up an expedient monetary policy, while the banks
grant loans with affordable interest rates."

"Armenian banks are highly marketable and it’s natural that interest
rates move downward, so that the banks can distribute capital.

Interest rates will fall till the end of the year, making 12-13%,"
he said.

VLADIMIR AKOPIAN DEFEATS ERNESTO INARKIEV AT MEN’S GRAND PRIX

PanARMENIAN.Net
May 19, 2010 – 15:42 AMT 10:42 GMT

Armenian grandmaster Vladimir Akopian defeated Russia’s Ernesto
Inarkiev in the 8th round of Men’s Grand Prix in Astrakhan, Russia.

Nevertheless, Akopian bottoms the standings with three points.

Russia’s Dmitry Yakovenko has taken the lead with 4.5 points.

In the 9th round, Akopian will rival Ukraine’s Ruslan Ponomarev,
who is currently the 5th with 4 points.

LA RUSSIE POURRAIT JOUER UN ROLE PLUS ACTIF DANS LE PROCESSUS DE PAIX AU KARABAKH
Stephane

armenews
19 mai 2010
TURQUIE

La Russie pourrait jouer un rôle plus actif dans le processus de paix
au Nagorno-Karabakh et le processus de normalisation Armenie-Turquie
a declare l’ambassadeur turc en Russie Halil Akinci dans une interview
avec l’agence Interfax.

"Nous croyons que la Russie comme joueur regional est capable de
contribuer a la resolution du conflit du Karabakh. Après tout,
la Russie est le seul pays regional parmi les pays co-president du
Groupe de Minsk de l’OSCE " a-t-il dit.

Halil Akinci a dit que "la ratification des protocoles armeno-turcs
par la Turquie est impossible independant de la question du Karabakh."

ERDOGAN GOING TO OFFER BAKU TO CONTENT ITSELF WITH RETURN OF KELBAJAR AND FIZULI?

PanARMENIAN.Net
May 17, 2010 – 14:32 AMT 09:32 GMT

Ankara offers Baku to content itself with return of Kelbajar and
Fizuli, a Turkish newspaper said.

According to Hurriyet, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
will try to persuade Baku to agree to withdrawal of Armenian troops
from these two regions and open the border with Armenia.

Talks are held on return of these two regions only, the newspaper
quoted an informed source as saying.

"Ankara is trying to guarantee progress in the Karabakh process for
ratification of Protocols on normalization of relations with Armenia.

If the latter fails to demonstrate a constructive approach to the
proposal, Turkey will freeze the dialogue for a long time," the
report says.

About 90 companies taking part in country of talking stones fair in Yerevan

YEREVAN, May 15, /ARKA/. Eighty-seven Armenian and foreign companies
are showcasing their products and services at the 10-th international
tourism fair in Yerevan. Yeghishe Tanashian, president of the Armenian
Association of Travel Agencies, said at the opening ceremony today
that the fair, called The Country of Talking Stones, has brought to
Yerevan 13 Turkish companies, 6 Georgian, 2 from Tunisia, one from
Nagorno-Karabakh and tens from Armenia.

He said one of the main goals of this exhibition is to enhance
domestic and regional tourism with the help of travel agencies from
regional countries. A deputy Armenian minister of economy Ara
Petrosian described the fair as `a best example of public and private
sectors cooperation.’

The exhibition will run through May 15. It is organized by the
Armenian Association of Travel Agencies, American Society of Travel
Agents with the help of USAID/CAPS.-0-

MEVLUT CHAVUSHOGHLU: ‘ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN ARE UNDER OBLIGATION TO PACE ABOUT THE NKR CONFLICT’

ARMENPRESS
MAY 13, 2010
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, MAY 13, ARMENPRESS: Armenia and Azerbaijan assumed obligations
to PACE about the NKR conflict and they have to realize them,
President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
Mevlut Chavushoghlu said at today’s press conference in Yerevan and
reminded the PACE had established a subcommittee for the Nagorno
Karabakh issue, which, after the death of the subcommittee chairman
Russell Johnston, does not exist any more. He added that currently
there is no agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the mandate of
the subcommittee and its format. Mevlut Chavushoghlu says the issue
of reestablishment of such a subcommittee has been on the agenda of
the Bureau of the European Council for a year. He also assured that
he would pursue making the corresponding decision. ‘We held meetings
with the parliamentary delegations of Armenia and Azerbaijan to PACE
and discussed the issue. The meetings will be continuous until we
reach a bilateral agreement on the format of the subcommittee and
related issues,’ Mevlut Chavushoghlu said. Ashot Ghulyan, speaker
of the NKR National Assembly, had applied to PACE for carrying out
an observation mission during the May 23 elections of the Nagorno
Karabakh. Mevlut Chavushoghlu commented on this and said that the PACE
Bureau rejected the application, as ‘there is no tradition of carrying
out observation mission at elections, which will be held in areas of
‘frozen conflicts’.

TELETHON IS AIMED AT IMPROVING WATER SUPPLY NKR

Aysor
May 14 2010
Armenia

The means gathered due to the telethon of 2010 will be directed to
the improving of the water supply the NKR and the development of the
border close villages of Armenia, said Ara Vardanyan, the executive
director of the "Hayastan"all-Armenian fund on the break of the fund’s
regular 19th sitting of the Board of Trustees.

He informed that on the sitting that continues behind the closed
doors have been presented the reports of the executive administration
on the annual activities of the Fund, as well as the conclusions of
the "GRANT THORNTON AMYOT" and supervisory commission. A. Vardanyan
mentioned that the annual report has been accepted unequivocally.

Touching upon the money of the telethon of 2009 Ara Vardanyan
informed that one million from the 16mln USD will be directed for the
improvement program of Shushi, 2mln will be directed to the realization
of other programs in Karabakh, and the rest of the money will be spent
on the development projects of the border close settlements of Armenia.

According to the executive director of the Fund the amount will be
directed to school building, opening libraries and road construction,
there will be implemented very important investments in Noyemberyan
village of Tavush region, in the improvement project of the infection
hospital of Nor Nork, etc.