Հայաստանի - նորություններ | Armenia - News

[hakz2007]

News and discussions about Armenia

[hakz2007]

EDB investments in Armenia may total $500mln

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Eurasian Development Bank’s (EDB) investments in Armenia may total $500mln

“Energy and transport infrastructure are priority industries for us,” Chairman of the EDB Executive Board Igor Finogenov said in an interview with RBC daily.

“A memorandum of cooperation was signed with the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources. Besides, a number of agreements were signed with local major companies, including ArmRosGazprom and South Caucasus Railways. Armbusinessbank was provided a $20-million credit, the funds to be spent to facilitate development of small and medium-sized businesses,” he said.

http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/economy/news/48475/

Armavia launches direct communication with India

PanARMENIAN.Net - On April 13, Armavia national carrier launched the long-expected direct flight to Delhi, the capital of India.

“This flight will enable to expand trade and economic relations between the two countries and will contribute to their deepening,” Managing Director of the Minar Travels Indian travel agent, Armavia’s general representative in India, Mr. Duggal told reporters at Delhi International Airport.

Armavia’s Regional Managing Director on Middle East, Mr. Kolia Khatchatourian, for his part, added that India is interested in developing relations with Armenia. “The Indian side proposes operating the flight twice instead of once a week, given big prospects for bilateral collaboration,” he said.

On the eve of the new flight’s official launching, Armavia organized a meeting at Yerevan Mkhitar Heratsi Medical University during which Indian students were briefed on the company and its plans, in particular, the new Yerevan-Delhi-Yerevan route. Five most active students in the meeting were invited to take part in the pioneer flight.

http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/econo...ion_with_India

Armenia to export milk to Russia

PanARMENIAN.Net - Russia's agriculture watchdog, Rosselkhoznadzor, has permitted import of Armenian and Kazakh milk and dairy products. The ban on import of products from Armenia and Kazakhstan was lifted due to enterprises’ commitment to observe sanitary norms, Business FM reported.

According to experts, this will not affect the Russian dairy industry.

At the same time, Rosselkhoznadzor barred 15 foreign companies from importing meat, not meeting sanitary requirements.

http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/econo...milk_to_Russia

[hakz2007]

Czech Prime Minister is surprised at diligence of Armenian women

PanARMENIAN.Net - Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer is on a working visit to Armenia, at the invitation of his Armenian counterpart Tigran Sargsyan.

Despite difficult times, the Czech Republic has great potential for export, and the country may import great number of goods from Armenia, Mr. Fischer said during the May 17 joint press conference with Tigran Sargsyan. According to him, the countries have cooperation opportunities in the fields of IT, tourism, transport, etc.

Besides, the Czech Prime Minister noted that he is glad to be on a visit to this wonderful country, which has so many working women.

Armenia’s export to the Czech Republic totaled $1.5mln and $103,000 in 2009 and first quarter of 2010 respectively. Meanwhile, Armenia’s import from this country amounted to $15.1mln and $11mln in 2009 and first quarter of 2010 respectively.

Armenia’s export to the Czech Republic includes molybdenum concentrate, ferromolybdenum, wood and clay items, handmade carpets, rough diamonds, etc. Meanwhile, Armenia is importing sweets, beer, foodstuff, medicines, medical equipment, plastic articles, paper and hosiery.

An Armenian-Czech business forum is held in Yerevan in the framework of the Czech Prime Minister’s two-day visit that will provide the two countries’ entrepreneurs with the opportunity to establish closer trade and economic ties.

http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/economy/news/48704/

Poverty reduction in Armenia possible through boosting agricultural production

PanARMENIAN.Net - The FAO provided USD 1,8 million funding to Armenia in 2008-2009. This year, USD 40 thousand was provided for Nubarashen pesticide waste burial place research laboratory. USD 600 thousand is supposed to be allocated for development of seed farming, USD 2 million for upgrading laboratories and USD 1.6 thousand for construction of new facilities for cattle slaughter. Struggle against brucellosis is also among FAO priority programs.

The Europe and Central Asia region has achieved striking success in fighting poverty and food insecurity over the last ten years, with agriculture playing a key role. But the international financial and economic crisis could threaten that process FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf said.

“The financial and economic crisis could adversely affect the progress and the significant improvement in living standards that have been achieved in the region in the last decade. FAO studies have shown that the crisis has weakened agriculture, particularly in the countries of Central and East Europe. In addition, World Bank estimates show that Europe and Central Asia is the region that has been hit hardest by the crisis,” he said.

“Since 1998, some 50 million people in the Europe and Central Asia region have succeeded in moving out of poverty – a striking example of success in fighting poverty and food insecurity. In Central Asia, the number of people suffering from hunger fell by 38 percent from 9.3 million in 2000-2002 to 5.8 million in 2004-2006... Agriculture has played a key role. History showed that “there is no more powerful engine for stimulating growth and eradicating hunger and poverty than investment in agriculture. But sufficient financial resources were needed. Globally $44 billion a year of Official Development Assistance was required to finance modern inputs, rural infrastructures and technologies for the benefit of small farmers in poor countries,” Diouf said. “Investing in Europe and Central Asia could help resolve hunger in other regions of the world. It was estimated that with sufficient investment, nearly 10 million hectares of arable land could be brought back into cultivation to grow grains and oilseeds in Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation and Ukraine.”

Diouf, who launched a major international anti-hunger campaign, the “1billionhungry project”, to bring pressure on world leaders to pull a billion people out of hunger, said he is convinced that “together we can eliminate hunger from our planet.”

By the World Bank’s estimate, poverty in Armenia may reach 27,9% in 2010, as a consequence of the global financial crisis.

http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/econo...ral_production

[Newropean]

Ombudsman Sees Continued Restriction of Freedom of Assembly in Armenia

Armenia’s human rights defender has criticized the authorities for failing to show full commitment to the principles of freedom of assembly. In an ad hoc report unveiled in Yerevan on Tuesday, Ombudsman Armen Harutiunian also blamed certain vague provisions in the current legislation for the situation.
The report reviews the situation with the freedom of assembly in Armenia since the 2008 presidential election till today. It concludes that the principles of “state obligation to protect peaceful rallies, exclusion of discrimination and other principles” have been violated.

“The conduct of public authorities in many cases gives reasons to assume that they fail to fully appreciate the importance of freedom of assembly,” Harutiunian said during the presentation of the report.

According to the data published in the report, the authorities of Yerevan rejected more than 80 requests for holding public rallies in the city in 2008.

“There were not that many requests for public rallies in 2009 and particularly so far this year and the number of rejections isn’t that large correspondingly, because it is not a pre-election period now. The same problems, however, may recur during pre-election periods, as the legislation remains the same,” he said.

The Armenian parliament introduced drastic changes in the freedom of assembly legislation shortly after nonstop rallies staged by the opposition after the disputed 2008 presidential election led to the country’s worst political crisis. The changes severely restricted the rights to hold rallies and demonstrations and gave local authorities sweeping powers to reject requests for holding protest events based on vague conclusions of law-enforcement agencies. The Armenian lawmakers later removed some of the restrictions under pressure from the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, but did not fully revert to the version of the law that existed before March 2008.

The ombudsman’s latest report does not refer to cases of violence, police detentions and criminal prosecution applied against oppositionists participating in marches of protest in 2009. It only says that citizens’ right to hold marches appeared to be ‘less protected’ than the right to stage rallies.

Harutiunian said he planned to come up with a new draft law to try to fill in the gaps in the existing legislation.

The ombudsman acknowledged the existence of violations in the practice of applying laws, but would not be drawn into a discussion of the ‘democratic credentials’ of the current government.

“An ombudsman is not a politician and this is not a political report,” Harutiunian underscored.

http://www.azatutyun.am/content/article/2052630.html

[Newropean]

Macroeconomic forecasts for Armenia revised

The National Statistical Service has published the data for January-April 2010, according to which, 7.2% GDP growth was recorded in Armenia as compared with the same period of 2009. The GDP amounted to AMD 777.6bln in April. Besides, 8% growth was recorded in consumer prices in the reported period as compared with the 2009 index.
May 22, 2010

PanARMENIAN.Net - Export volumes increased by 64.3%, totaling $289.8mln, while import amounted to $1.1bln, growing by 24.4%.

Given the favorable economic developments, the government decided to revise its macroeconomic forecasts.

“It seems to be obvious that our anti-crisis efforts have paid off, and growth is gaining momentum in industry. We should be consistent to maintain the pace in 2011-2012,” Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan said.

The IMF has also reviewed its forecasts for the country’s GDP, predicting 4% growth.

According to RA Finance Minster Tigran Davtyan, inflation control will persist as one of the major problems of Armenia’s economic policy in 2010. “Both the government and the Central Bank of Armenia have already taken action to control inflation, assuming a tough monetary policy,” he said. “The measures were taken to balance the budget, what will allow to tackle social problems.”

Meanwhile, 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.

Armenia’s former Prime Minister Hrant Bagratyan supposes that the global financial crisis will possibly continue. He named three reasons, due to which the crisis can’t be thought as overcome. First, banks not only grant loans to business, but also become its shareholders; second, largest corporations will not be able to meet their obligations to pension funds; third, inconsistence of currency during budget’s formation.

According to Bagratyan, the new crisis will reach Armenia in six month and its new wave will be stronger that is reasoned by decrease in prices for copper and molybdenum.

Besides, the former PM advised the population to purchase precious metals, specifically palladium, to be able to withstand the crisis challenges.

http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/econo...rmenia_revised

[Newropean]

Azerbaijan incapable to resolve Karabakh conflict by use of force

April 19, 2010
PanARMENIAN.Net - The situation in the South Caucasus remains strained despite the efforts the United States and Russia exert to maintain the fragile peace in the Karabakh conflict area and in the region, as a whole. Normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations remains undecided while Azeri President’s threats to start a new war seem endless. Peacekeeper, first director of the NKR-based Center of Civil Initiatives NGO and coordinator of the international working group on missing persons and exchange of POWs Albert Voskanyan comments on the current situation to PanARMENIAN.Net.

How real is normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations without acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide by Turkey?

I don’t think that Armenian-Turkish reconciliation is possible, with the Armenian Cause unsettled. To normalize relations with Armenia, Turkey should cease its anti-Armenian foreign policy and acknowledge the Armenian Genocide. Besides, it should take up a sustainable policy aimed at peaceful and neighborly relations. And last but not least, it should stop being a hostage to Azerbaijan’s interests.

To become a democracy, Turkey should come to terms with its history and resolve a number of pressing problems, including the Kurdish and Cyprus issues

Actually, Turkey has tied normalization of relations with Armenia to resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. But I believe that it's time for the sides to reconsider positions for the sake of their nations. Furthermore, U.S. President Barack Obama is impatient to announce a new diplomatic victory – reconciliation between Armenians and Turks after a century-old enmity.

The U.S. administration will spare no effort, including pressure on Turkey, to achieve normalization and promote partial opening of the Armenian-Turkish border.

Many speak about possibility of a new war. May and June are mentioned as a start. Do you think Ilham Aliyev will venture a new war?

I don’t think Aliyev will dare launch hostilities, fearing to lose the power in case of defeat. Moreover, starting a war, he will nullify the OSCE MG efforts, thus inflicting an irreparable damage to Azerbaijan’s international image.

During the years of ceasefire, Azerbaijan has enough time to train its troops for attacks, while Nagorno Karabakh used the period to fortify its defense. The people of Karabakh will never draw back. They will defend each meter of their land.

The 2008 clashes in South Ossetia showed that a war in the region may last no longer than a week. This time is too little for Azerbaijan to resolve the problem in its favor. But if it dares, a large number of countries will inevitably recognize independence of Nagorno Karabakh.

Nevertheless, Aliyev may launch some local operations to gain dividends for his election campaign.

How could you explain Baku’s anti-U.S. hysteria?

Discontent with the U.S. administration has considerably grown in Azerbaijan recently. Baku is irritated at the influence of the Armenian lobby and annual U.S. assistance to Nagorno Karabakh. After Turkey refused to open the border with Armenia unless the Karabakh conflict is resolved, Azerbaijan openly voices its indignation with the United States.

Baku is taking the course towards Moscow, singing a contract with Gazprom on the one hand, and speaks about possible joint project with the U.S., on the other hand. One thing is clear, Azerbaijan will not dare spoil relations with Washington.

http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/world...y_use_of_force

[Newropean]

Building complex to be constructed instead of Yerevan’s Youth Palace

May 25, 2010 - 15:39 AMT 10:39 GMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Kiyokazu Arai, Arai Architects company director, was announced International Architectural Concepts Competition winner to be awarded with USD 70 thousand prize, project manager, architect Levon Vardanyan said.

As he told a news conference in Yerevan, Kiyokazu’s project features a hotel, business center and an apartment complex to be constructed at former location of Yerevan’s Youth Palace. 101-meter Intercontinental hotel will be the tallest building in the city.

“Project approval to be passed by Yerevan’s town planning committee will be followed by the launch of 3-4 year construction. Construction costs are estimated at USD 200 million,” said Eduard Avetisyan, head of Avangard Motors company, the contest initiator.

http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/socie...s_Youth_Palace

[hakz2007]

Yerevan to host VII CIS and Baltic Region Bond Congress

PanARMENIAN.Net - On July 1 and 2, 2010, Russian Cbonds news agency jointly with NASDAQ OMX Armenia will organize the VII CIS and Baltic Region Bond Congress in Yerevan. The Bond Congress is an event held yearly since 2004 in one of the financial centers in CIS and Baltic states and has been an important event gathering market professionals from all countries involved.

The main objective of the Bond Congress to be held in Yerevan is to provide a forum for all bond market participants to discuss the vital issues related to CIS and Baltic debt market; exchange experience; build business contacts, as well as to present the Armenian bond market to the international community and promote investment interest towards this segment of the country’s capital market.

Primary topics to be covered during the event include: Armenian bond market; world financial markets in the aftermath of the crisis; bond markets of Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and the Baltic states. As part of the Round Table on internal and external markets, the attendees will discuss the priorities and interests of existing and potential issuers and investors in respect of the debt market. Overall, more than 200 market professionals for CIS and the Baltic states are expected to participate in the event, NASDAQ OMX said in a press release.

Among the invited speakers of the Bond Congress are the Central Bank of Armenia, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Economy officials. Presentations by NASDAQ OMX Armenia stock exchange, Armenian bond issuers and local investment service providers will also be delivered. Agenda sections devoted to debt markets of CIS and the Baltic states will be presented by regulatory officials, stock exchange representatives, as well as by issuers and market professionals, including Deutsche Bank, Standard & Poor’s, Russian Sberbank, Troyka Dialog investment company, MICEX, Goldman Sachs, and SEB Bank.

Cbonds group of companies is a news agency with focus on financial markets. The Group' currently carries out the following activities in Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan: maintains and develops information websites (Cbonds.Info and Investfunds); organizes conferences and exhibitions devoted to financial markets; publishes Cbonds Review magazine and yearbooks.

http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/economy/news/49831/

Armen Gevorgyan: Armenia is interested in boosting relations with Qatar

PanARMENIAN.Net - On June 11, Armenian Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Territorial Administration Armen Gevorgyan received newly appointed Qatar Ambassador to Armenia Ibrahim Abdul Rahman Al-Meghaiseeb (residence in Tehran.)

Greeting the Ambassador, Gevorgyan noted that Armenia is interested in boosting relations with Qatar and attached importance to the role of interdepartmental commission.

Gevorgyan added that during his recent visit to Qatar he met with Emir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani and discussed Qatar’s participation in regional projects developed in Armenia, as well as organization of the first sitting of the interdepartmental commission this year.

For his part, the Ambassador attached importance to opening of Armenia’s diplomatic representation in Qatar and establishment of air communication between the two countries.

Besides, the Qatar Ambassador offered to hold the first sitting of the interdepartmental commission in Doha, the press service of the RA Ministry of Territorial Administration reported.

http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/polit...ons_with_Qatar

Private remittances to Armenia totaled $367mln in January-April 2010

PanARMENIAN.Net - $367mln was transferred to individuals through the Armenian banking system in January-April 2010. According to the RA Central Bank’s monthly bulletin, 3.8% or $13.3mln growth was recorded as compared with the same period of last year.

Meanwhile, Russia keeps the biggest share of remittances to Armenia - $232.9mln, followed by the U.S. - $39.5mln and Germany - $7.1mln. The amount of remittances from Turkey totaled $885,000.

Besides, the amount of remittances from Armenia totaled $188.4mln in January-April 2010 that is 9.7% higher as compared with the same period of last year.

During the reported period, the net cash inflow decreased by 1.9% amounting to $178.6mln against $182mln in January-April 2009.

http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/econo...uaryApril_2010

[Newropean]

Oldest Leather Shoe A ‘Dream’ Find For Armenian Scientist

For a young Armenian archaeologist who stumbled on what scientists think is the world’s oldest leather shoe, it was a dream come true which she still finds hard to believe.

“It was my dream,” Diana Zardarian said Friday of her historic find on September 16, 2008 in a cave in Armenia’s southeastern Vayots Dzor region, which has made headlines around the world. The 27-year-old post-graduate student conducted excavations there in a team of fellow employees of Armenia’s Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography and visiting archaeologists from Ireland and the United States.

“I knew that organic artifacts are very rarely found during excavations, especially from the Copper Age layers that are 6,000 years old,” she told RFE/RL in an interview on Friday. “At first I couldn’t believe it’s that old.

“I stood still for a couple of minutes in the excavation site. Everyone asked, ‘Diana, what happened?’ I said, ‘People, my dream has come true, I’ve found a shoe.’ Nobody believed me.”

Armenia -- Archaeologist Diana Zardarian shows the worlds oldest leather shoe found in an Armenian cave, 11June 2010.
With Armenia lacking modern radiocarbon test facilities, four samples of the shoe’s cow-hide leather were sent to specialized laboratories in California and Oxford, England for examination. Scientists there took more than 18 months to confirm that the item dates back to around 3,500 BC, an era known as the Chalcolithic period, or Copper Age.

“We were cleaning up the clay floor dating back to 3600-3300 B.C., and all of sudden a large cluster of dry reeds came up,” recalled Zardarian. “I asked laborers to go out so I could take a closer look at them. As I removed more soil from the reeds, I got deeper and deeper into them and then exposed a very beautiful and special pit. It was plastered with very high-quality yellow clay.”

At the bottom of the pit Zardarian found a pair of sheep’s horns lying on a clay bowl turned upside down. “When I raised it a little I felt that there is something underneath,” she said. “Because the pit was deep, about 50 centimeters, and dark, I couldn’t see what lay on its floor. In fact, I was digging it with my right hand without seeing anything.

“When my hand reached the floor I felt some organic stuff, which I at first thought is a cow ear. I took it out and got absolutely transfixed. It was a shoe turned upside down.”

“Everyone was stunned by how well preserved that 6,000-year-old shoe was,” she added with a smile. “Even the shoe-laces were preserved.”

Armenian and foreign scientists attribute that to the stable, cool and dry conditions that have existed in the cave for several millennia. They say preservation was also helped by the fact that its floor was covered by a thick layer of sheep dung which acted as a solid seal over the objects.

It is not yet known whether the shoe, matching a modern-day European size 37 or U.S. size 7, belonged to a man or woman. Zardarian said her state-run research institute plans to commission DNA tests for that purpose. She confirmed that the artifact will eventually be put on permanent display at the National History Museum in Yerevan.

Previously the oldest leather shoe discovered in Europe or Asia was on the famous Otzi, the "Iceman" found frozen in the Alps a few years ago and now preserved in Italy. Otzi has been dated to 5,375 and 5,128 years ago, a few hundred years more recent than the Armenian shoe.

The oldest known footwear in the world are sandals thought to be around 2,500 years older than the Armenian leather shoe. They were found in a cave in Missouri in the United States.

The Vayots Dzor cave located near wine-growing Areni village was apparently the site of an ancient human settlement. Other finds there included large ceramic containers, many of which held wheat, barley, apricots and other edible plants. The scientists exploring it since 2007 have also reported evidence of an ancient winemaking operation, and caches of what may be the oldest known intentionally dried fruits.

http://www.azatutyun.am/content/article/2069047.html

[hakz2007]

Whoa, this is an interesting find

[Newropean]

Absolutely!
How cool would it be if they now found the human that wore the shoe at the same place!

Actually I found this story through wikipedia, it was in the news on the main page for several days now.
Here's the link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenian_shoe

[hakz2007]

Yerevan Brandy Factory sales volume decreases by 26% within 5 months

PanARMENIAN.Net - Sales volume at Yerevan Brandy Factory decreased by 26% within January –May 2010 compared with last year’s results, factory director Ara Grigoryan stated.

As he told a news conference in Yerevan, “Two of our main outlet markets, Russia and Ukraine, are still undergoing economic downfall stage. Among other marketing steps, we’re trying to make amendments to our price policy and product appearance to repair the situation. Brandy Factory re-equipment costs grossed over EURO 1 million; still, it’s hard to foretell the effect innovations introduced will have on the situation.”

http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/economy/news/50071/

Yerevan Brandy Company to purchase 29,000t of grapes in 2010

PanARMENIAN.Net - Director of Yerevan Brandy Company Ara Grigoryan said that the factory will purchase 29,000t of grapes this year that is 10% lower as compared with purchases in 2009.

“Taking into consideration 36% drop in sales and the continuing decline trends, we could ether refrain from purchasing grapes, or procure only 14,000-15,000 tons. But we decided to purchase 29,000t of grapes – the maximum volume, which can placed at the enterprise,” noted Grigoryan.

He added that the company has procured additional reservoirs for spirit storage with total capacity of 500,000 liters. Besides, the existing reservoirs, which had not been used by the factory, were renovated.

Grigoryan noted that the agreements with viticulturists will be cut by 20-22%, what will provide with the opportunity to equally distribute the planned volume of purchases among both farmers, with whom the company is cooperating for several years, and viticulturists.

As for the purchase prices, the YBC Director said that they will be announced in September. Nevertheless, he assured that the prices will be higher as compared with 2009 (AMD 130 and 120 per 1kg of grapes from Ararat valley and Tavush region respectively).

http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/economy/news/50065/

[Newropean]

Armenian, Azerbaijani delegations to PACE meet in Strasbourg

June 23, 2010 - 12:05 AMT 07:05 GMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian and Azerbaijani delegations to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) met in Strasbourg on June 22, the Armenian side being represented by Davit Harutyunyan and Armen Rustamyan.

“Our major demand is that the sides should continue talks unless the key issues are resolved but, anyway, PACE can’t be effective in resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict,” Armen Rustamyan said. “We are against creation of any platform which can become a new stage for propaganda, thus complicating the situation even more. So, our proposal to proceed with consultations was adopted.”

http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/world..._in_Strasbourg

Armenia listed among stable and established states in Foreign Policy magazine ranking

PanARMENIAN.Net - Foreign Policy magazine and the Fund for Peace have published 2010 Failed States Index listing the world's most vulnerable nations.

Somalia has been the No. 1 failed state for three years running; altogether, the top 10 slots have rotated among just 15 unhappy countries in the index's six years. State failure, it seems, is a chronic condition.

At the top of the list, Somalia saw yet another year plagued by lawlessness and chaos, with pirates plying the coast while radical Islamist militias tightened their grip on the streets of Mogadishu. Across the Gulf of Aden, long-ignored Yemen leapt into the news when a would-be suicide bomber who had trained there tried to blow up a commercial flight bound for Detroit. Afghanistan and Iraq traded places on the index as both states contemplated the exit of U.S. combat troops, while already isolated Sudan saw its dictator, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, defy an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court and the war-ravaged Democratic Republic of the Congo once again proved itself a country in little more than name. Among CIS states, Uzbekistan was ranked 36th in the list of most vulnerable nations, followed by Georgia (37th). Tajikistan received the ranking of 38, Kyrgyzstan -45, Azerbaijan -55, Moldova -58. For the second year running, Armenia has been ranked 101st.

This year's index draws on 90,000 publicly available sources to analyze 177 countries and rate them on 12 metrics of state decay -- from refugee flows to economic implosion, human rights violations to security threats.

http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/world...gazine_ranking

Armenian banking system income to total AMD 20bln in 2010

June 23, 2010 - 16:20 AMT 11:20 GMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Head of Financial Stability Department of the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) Vahe Vardanyan said that, according to the CBA estimates, income of the banking system of Armenia may amount to AMD 20bln that is insignificantly lower as compared with the 2008 index.

The banking system has already secured AMD 8bln income, while the controlled income of the Armenian banking system totaled AMD 8.4bln in 2009.

Vardanyan noted that market development is currently hampered by dollarization. “The CBA’s primary goal is to tackle the market’s dollarization, and we take relevant steps to this end,” he said.

http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/econo..._20bln_in_2010

[Newropean]

Iran Against U.S. Peacekeeping Role In Karabakh

Iran is strongly opposed to U.S. involvement in a multi-national peacekeeping force that would presumably be deployed around Nagorno-Karabakh after the signing of an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace accord, a senior Iranian diplomat warned on Wednesday.

Such a peacekeeping operation is an important element of the current and previous peace proposals made by the U.S., Russian and French mediators spearheading international efforts to settle the Karabakh dispute.

Analysts in and outside the region have long speculated about the possible composition of foreign troops that would enforce a future peace deal. The mediators’ existing “basic principles” of a peaceful settlement apparently leave that question unanswered.

According to Iran’s ambassador to Armenia, Seyed Ali Saghaeyan, the United States is keen to have troops in Azerbaijan’s Fizuli district, which borders Iran and was mostly occupied by Karabakh Armenian forces in 1993. He claimed that that would pose a serious threat to the Islamic Republic given its extremely tense relations with Washington.

“Iran is the only country adjacent to the conflicting parties, and in terms if ensuring its own security, it will not allow the deployment of American forces,” Saghayean told a news conference.

The diplomat declined to specify whether Tehran does not want to see peacekeeping forces from other foreign powers as well. He argued that both the conflicting parties and the OSCE Minsk Group have still a long way to go to reach agreement on the matter.

Saghayean similarly indicated in February that Iran regards the make-up of the would-be peacekeeping force in the conflict zone as a matter of national security. “Iran shares a common border with Karabakh and therefore we surely have our own considerations and views about the composition of a peacekeeping force that might be deployed in the conflict zone,” he said.

The Iranian envoy also insisted on Wednesday that a renewed war in Karabakh is extremely unlikely now despite the latest upsurge in skirmishes along the Armenian-Azerbaijani Line of Contact north and east of the disputed territory. “Iran rules that out,” he said.

http://www.azatutyun.am/content/article/2080247.html

[Newropean]

This website has nice articles in English, even though they're not very neutral.

http://armenianow.com/

[Newropean]

Yerevan's Golden Apricot Film Festival kicks off with Turkish A-list

Armenia’s Golden Apricot Movie Festival readies to celebrate its seventh anniversary this year in Yerevan. Fatih Akın, the world-renowned Turkish-German director, headlines this year’s list of guests. Unlike diplomatic relations between Turkey and Armenia, the festival also demonstrates the continuing warm artistic relations between the two countries


Demonstrating once again the fraternal ties between Turkish and Armenian artists that contrast their countries’ political relations, Yerevan’s Golden Apricot Film Festival will open Sunday with a number of international guests, including prominent Turkish directors.

Headlining this year’s seventh edition of the festival is “Honey” (Bal), from Turkish director Semih Kaplanoğlu. The film, which won international plaudits after receiving the Golden Bear award during the prestigious Berlin Film Festival in February, will be shown to Armenian audiences during an exclusive screening at the event.

This year the film festival will also host two honored guests, including Turkish-German director Fatih Akın, as well as Greek director Theo Angelopulos.

The festival, which takes place from July 11 to 18, is dedicated to the anniversaries of two prominent directors of Armenian origin: Arni Verno and Atom Egoyan.

A total of 120 movies will be shown during the seven-day festival. The opening movie will be from Verno, whose movie "Mayrig" (Mother) is being eagerly anticipated by Armenian audiences. The festival will also host Italy’s Claudio Cardinale this year.

Turkey and Armenia dialogue

Even though relations and the protocols being negotiated between Armenia and Turkey have become frozen by the countries’ respective parliaments, artists from both neighbors have continued to pursue friendly ties.

During the last two years, Turkish and Armenian artists have conducted important projects on a variety of artistic levels.

Turkish movies were first screened for Armenian audiences within the framework of the Golden Apricot Film Festival in 2008, while the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts, or İKSV, also hosted Armenian directors during the Istanbul Film Festival’s “Meeting the Bridge” movie event.

The Yerevan festival’s art director, Susanna Harutyunyan, said they were still in contact with the Istanbul Film Festival board. “We try to exchange Turkish and Armenian directors.”

Tradition of blessing the apricots

Noting that the festival developed a lot within the past seven years, festival director Mikael Stamboltsyan recently told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review that the organizers’ aim was to bring world cinema to Yerevan and make the town a center for movie festivals.

“Before this festival, Armenian audiences could not gain access to world cinema, Stamboltsyan said. “It was just a dream for them. With this festival we are not only encouraging Armenian audiences to meet world cinema, but we are also supporting young directors to open to the world.”

As in past years, the festival will begin after a new crop of apricots receives a blessing in a church. Apricots, however, are not the only fruit that will be blessed. During the grape harvest, the Armenian Apostolic Church also blesses other fruits. As grapes are blessed during the second week of August, people also have a “grape fast,” abstaining from eating them until the time of blessing. These celebrations in Armenia come from the pre-Christianity period.

“Seven years ago, when we started to have these celebrations, we decided to start a new tradition with this,” Stamboltsyan said. “We decided that we should also bless the apricots. The apricot is an Armenian fruit. The Latin name of it is ‘Prunus Armeniaca.’”

The festival has hosted many honored guests in the past several years, such as director Egoyan from Canada, Wim Wenders from Germany, Abbas Kirostami from Iran, Catherine Breillat from France, Nikita Mikhalkov from Russia and Goran Paskelevic from Serbia.

More detailed information on the festival is available at www.gaiff.am.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.p...off-2010-07-08

Azerbaijan rejects Armenian claims of a new Karabakh proposal

Azerbaijan has denied Armenian claims that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev presented his Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts with a new international plan last month to resolve the conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian referred to what was discussed with Medvedev in St. Petersburg as "a new version of the Madrid Principles" of a Karabakh settlement at a news conference in Yerevan with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Sunday.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry dismissed these statements late on Monday, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Armenian Service reported.

"Even though Russia plays a large role in this process and the Russian president has taken part in several meetings [between Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Serge Sarkisian], proposals are drawn up only by the [OSCE's Minsk Group] co-chairs," Azerbaijani media quoted ministry spokesman Elkhan Polukhov as saying.

"Updated Madrid proposals exist only in the form of a document, and they were submitted to both parties last year," he said. "Only various approaches [to these proposals] were discussed in St. Petersburg."

Polukhov added that "the statement by Nalbandian is only aimed at distracting the Armenian and international public from the essence of the issue."

Armenian President Sarkisian had likewise spoken of "the latest version" of the proposed framework accord as he met with the visiting French, Russian, and U.S. co-chairs of the Minsk Group on Saturday. A statement by his office said the document was "presented in the course of the St. Petersburg negotiations between the presidents of Armenia, Russia, and Azerbaijan."

According to senior figures in the ruling Republican Party, Sarkisian reacted positively to the new peace proposals although his Azerbaijani counterpart Aliyev apparently did not. They claim that Aliyev cut short his visit to Russia as a result.

The next day the Armenian side reported the worst fighting between Karabakh-Armenian and Azerbaijani forces in the disputed region in more than two years, with five soldiers being killed.

Baku has repeatedly claimed to have largely accepted a modified "Madrid document" that was drafted by the three mediating powers last fall.

Armenian reaction to that document has been more ambiguous, with officials in Yerevan saying only that the document's original version – which was unveiled in the Spanish capital in 2007 – remains "a basis for negotiations."

Nagorno-Karabakh is an enclave in Azerbaijan that has been occupied by Armenian forces since the end of a six-year conflict that left about 30,000 people dead and displaced 1 million prior to a 1994 truce.

The territory’s unilateral independence is not recognized by the international community. The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been negotiating on the issue under the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, but little progress has been made so far.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.p...al--2010-07-08

And I think that this thread about Armenia would get more attention in the European section, or even in the Middle Eastern one. There are just so very few links between East Asia and Armenia, the same goes for Georgia and Azerbaijan of course.

[Newropean]

A short article from the Economist:

Please Mrs Clinton, he hit me first

Jul 6th 2010, 14:50 by A.O. | TBILISI

THE PRESIDENTS of Armenia and Azerbaijan wasted no time complaining about each other to Hillary Clinton, the American Secretary of State, who visited both countries this week.

When she sat down with Ilham Aliev , the Azeri president, in his lavish presidential palace overlooking the Caspian sea, Mr Aliev was supposed to make few polite remarks for the cameras before disappearing with Ms Clinton into private negotiations. Instead, he launched straight into the subject of Nagorno-Karabakh, blaming Armenia for violating the ceasefire agreement of 1994. A few hours later, in Yerevan, the Armenian leader Serzh Sargsyan, did the same.

The tension has been building up in recent months resulting and on June 18th several people were killed in an exchange of fire. Yet neither side is doing much to resolve the conflict, argues Thomas de Waal a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for Peace, argues

Naturally suspicious, neither government offers the offer anything constructive. To be precise, the Armenians offer constructive engagement on small issues such as sharing water over the ceasefire line, but the Azeris reject these gestures, worrying that this is “doing business with the enemy.” The Armenian side rejects all proposals to give up even an inch of Armenian-held land, before pledges on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh are made up front. The Azeris, saying that they are in a state of war, even reject the proposal made by the French, Russia and U.S foreign ministers in Helsinki in 2008 to remove snipers from the front line.

Mr De Waal has recently returned from Nagorno-Karbakh and has penned an evocative description of this tiny piece of disputed land in the Caucasus mountains.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/easte...nd_azerbaijanq

And here the link to the evocative description.

[ukiyo]

What is the cause of the conflicts?

[Newropean]

Hm? Why this fighting erupted now in June? I have no idea.

For the larger context, Nagorno-Karabakh is a district in the Southern Caucasus that was an autonomous region within Azerbaijan since 1923 (when the Soviet Union was founded). It was and is mainly inhabited by Armenians though.
When the Soviet Union started to break up since 1989, the ethnic Armenians (but Azeri citizens) of Nagorno-Karabakh seeked independance from Azerbaijan, which was not granted, so a war broke out between the two, with Armenia proper supporting Nagorno-Karabakh with military and financial resources. Azerbaijan lost control over the region, and Nagorno-Karabakh declared itself independent (recognized by nobody though). There is a cease-fire, but it's rather shaky.
Plus, Azerbaijan is vowing to reconquer the region as soon as possible, even though the inhabitants basically fought for their freedom from Azerbaijan themselves.
The problem is that both parties don't want to compromise, both want their maximum conditions fulfilled: Azerbaijan wants the region back, Nagorno-Karabakh wants independence and wants to join Armenia afterwards.

[hakz2007]

Armenia expects Turkey to demonstrate political will in normalization of bilateral ties

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia demonstrated political will towards normalization of ties with Turkey and expects Turkey to undertake a return step, RA President Serzh Sargsyan stated.

“The whole world urges Turkey to demonstrate political will in ratifying Protocols, however Ankara turns a deaf ear, calling on Armenia to show political will,” Serzh Sargsyan noted at July 21 meeting with Armenian Diaspora youth, members of Miasin movement and Return Home program.

“Despite Turkish authorities’ statements, Armenia is ready to accept any expression of friendship,” Armenian leader concluded.

http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/politics/news/51570/

U.S. government to allocate $2.9mln assistance to Armenia

PanARMENIAN.Net - On July 22, the RA government approved the suggestion on signing the protocol on introduction of the eleventh amendment to the Letter of Agreement on Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement between governments of Armenia and the U.S.

Since the signing of the original Letter of Agreement on June 11, 2001, the United States has provided around $11mln of justice sector assistance to the Government of Armenia. Meanwhile, the eleventh amendment is also aimed at developing efficient cooperation. Under the amendment, the U.S. government will allocate $2.9mln assistance.

http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/econo...nce_to_Armenia