Natural gas to get cheaper Argentine Court for vulnerable households Adopts Unprecedent- Page 2 ed Ruling On Arme- nian Genocide PAGE 5 HIGHLIGHTS

Weekly Digest of the Government of Armenia

March 28-April 4, 2011 THEMA

“Quote of the week”

“government will henceforth priori- tize the welfare programs rather than the seed- breeding ones in compliance with the proposals re- The President of the Swiss Confedera- ceived from the tion Micheline Calmy-Rey arrived on a provinces.“ two-day official visit to Armenia Tigran Sargsyan Prime Minister of RA t the invitation of President Serzh Sarg- of the world’s leading states and to deepen our Asyan, the President of the Swiss Con- bilateral relations. We are thankful to the people federation Micheline Calmy-Rey arrived last and government of Switzerland for the assist- night on a two-day official visit to Armenia. ance provided to Armenia and grateful for dis- Upcoming Events Today, at the Presidential Palace there cussing the issue of the Armenian Genocide at took place the official welcoming ceremo- the Swiss Parliament and for the adoption of the APRIL 4-6: President Serzh Sarg- ny which was followed by the tete-a-tete resolution,” President said at syan will leave for the Republic of meeting of Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and the meeting with the President of Switzerland. Serbia on an official visit. Micheline Calmy-Rey and the meeting The President of the Swiss Confederation of the delegations in the extended format. expressed gratitude for the warm welcome APRIL 24: Armenia marks the day Noting, that he has had numerous occa- and noted that her visit would be marked by of Armenian Genocide sions to meet and discuss issues of mu- a very important and emblematic event ¬– tual interest with the President of Switzer- opening of the Swiss Embassy in Yerevan NOVEMBER 28-30: Catholi- land, President Serzh Sargsyan underlined which is a striking illustration of the deepen- cos Karekin II, Grand Mufti Al- that yet this is the first visit of the Swiss ing Armenian-Swiss relations. On behalf of lahshukur Pashazadeh may meet in President to Armenia which provides an her government, Mrs. Calmy-Rey thanked Etchmiadzin excellent opportunity to thoroughly dis- President Serzh Sargsyan for his assistance cuss all issues pertinent to the develop- in establishing embassy and underscored that ment of the Armenian-Swiss relations. there is indeed strong resolve on both sides USEFUL LINKS “We hail the decision of the Swiss authori- to strengthen relations and to develop coop- • www.president.am ties to open embassy in Armenia. We be- eration between Armenia and Switzerland. • www.gov.am lieve it manifests the intent of Switzerland At the conclusion of the meeting, the • www.parliament.am to deepen our bilateral relations, and we are Presidents of Armenia and Switzer- • www.mfa.am pleased by the fact. Switzerland achieved land gave a joint press conference. • www.armenpress.am impressive results in every area and it’s a March31, 2011 • www.panarmenian.net great honor for us to be friends with the one full story www.president.am • www..am ARMENIA HIGHLIGHTS CHRONICA Natural gas to get cheaper for vulnerable households Headlines of the week n outgoing cabinet sitting was held passed a decision on establishing lower Atoday in the schoolhouse after Mes- tariffs for natural gas supplied to vulner- • March 30: Singapore’s For- rop Mashtots of Oshakan village, chaired able households. Hayrusgasard CJSC eign Minister expresses willing- by Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan was suggested lowering gas tariffs set ness to cooperate with Armenia To begin with, the by the public utility • AH sitting heard and took regulatory commis- • March 30: tries note of the 2010 an- sion and charge 100 to prevent flights of Step- nual report on the drams for each 1000 anakert-bound civil aircrafts s o c i a l - e c o n o m i c cubic meter natural • AH status of Aragatsot- gas supplied to vul- • March 30: World-famous ten- ni marz, delivered nerable households or Gegham Grigoryan award- by marz governor for the bills below ed with 1st degree medal Sargis Sahakyan. 10,000 cubic meters • AH The government next in the period between • March 31: Armenian students par- April 1, 2011 and March 31, 2012. According to Prime Minister Tigran Sarg- ticipating in Arctic Research program syan, some 60,000 households will benefit from this decision in line with • AH the President Serzh Sargsyan’s directive which is an important measure. • April 1: Kuwaiti specialists may study The government approved the order of conducting mandatory overhauls for in- Arabic manuscripts in Matenadaran dividual means of conveyance under which different terms will be applied for the • AH overhaul, ticketing and registration of public and individual means of conveyance. • APRIL1: Construction at church –ad- A series of decisions have been passed in support of the agricultural sec- jacent territory in Yerevan suspend- tor. In particular, the Executive has approved this year’s quotas for State sup- ed because of archaeological finds port to water user associations. The government will earmark AMD 4,200bn • AH to offset the cost of irrigation water preventing the rise in tariffs. Thus, • APRIL 2: April 2 marks birth an- the State covers about 60% of the annual spending on irrigation water. niversary of Soghomon Tehlirian The 2011-2012 spring barley seed reproduction program was backed with anoth- AH er decree passed at the meeting. In this connection, the Prime Minister noted that the government will henceforth prioritize the welfare programs rather than the Armenian National Youth seed-breeding ones in compliance with the proposals received from the provinc- Report will be complied es. The meeting decided to allocate AMD 200,000.0 to the Ministry of Agricul- ture to subsidize by 4 percentage points interest rate on agricultural lending avail- this year able through the finance ministry’s “Rural Funding Entity-PIU” State institution. The meeting amended a previous decision to continue subsidizing the loans he Armenian National Youth Report already extended and due to be extended under the “Affordable Hous- Twill be complied this year. It will rep- ing for Young Households” program in the second quarter of 2011. Un- resent a voluminous document that covers der another decision, the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs was re- all youth-related issues – education, cul- served the right to distribution of Armenia’s first-ever social housing estate. ture, social affairs, healthcare, sport, migra- The government amended a previous decree on the procedure to follow in draw- tion and religious life, Armenian Deputy ing lots and providing bonuses for tax administration improvement purposes. The Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Arsen amended decree stipulates that from now on no pecuniary incentives will be available Karamyan told a press conference today. for winning cash-register tickets, instead 15 motor-cars will be drawn instead of 10. “The report aims to provide informa- March 31, 2011, www.gov.am tion on problems facing all our citi- zens aged 18-30,” the Minister said. Days of Armenia in Paris “It will serve as an additional tool for hat was Armenia for them twenty nicipality of the 17th District of Paris by joint drawing the attention of corresponding Wyears ago and now? What feel- efforts of Embassy of Armenia in France and agencies to the existing problems,” Ar- ings had Armenians of Diaspora since the Armenian General Benevolent Union sen Karamyan said, adding that even if their motherland gained independence? (AGBU) European office. Days of Armenia are half of the problems presented in the re- This became a turning point in their lives. marked March 23-April 6 through a series of port are solved, it will be true progress. “It was a kind of dream for all of us, to be able events - different exhibitions, concerts, meet- Torching upon the “Affordable Hous- visiting our motherland, get in touch with ings, including groups of interest for children. ing for Young Families” program, the people in Armenia, get acquainted at last with In the framework of this event Armenian Deputy Minister said 315 loans were fi- the only country which may be called ours. I dance fest was organized March 24 by “Nav- nanced from April 2010 to March 18, 2011. often remember my grandmother and grand- asard” ensemble. Performance of this ensem- 2.5 out of 3 billion AMD envisaged has father, if they knew that one day Armenia ble functioning in France was met with storm already been provided to the program. would be independent they would live with of applause by French Armenians and French The Government is currently think- greater hope for future,” Seda Jololian, mem- audience. Vigen Chitechyan, RA Ambas- ing of attracting additional resources. ber of the Council of Friends of Embassy of sador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to April 4, 2011 www.armradio.am Armenia in France, told the reporter of “HH”. France, as well as a number of representatives Days of Armenia are being held at the Mu- of the Embassy were present at the event. April 4, 2011 www.hhpress.am 2 AH ARMENIA HIGHLIGHTS RES PUBLICA $24mln credit program for IT field development to : Defence be submitted to RA parliament Ministry must be kept abreast of latest IT trends and the field development were raised during a working lunch of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and repre- sentatives of the Union of Informa- tion Technology Enterprises (UITE). According to the Minister, problems of the development of IT field have been in the focus of Sargsyan’s at- tention, as the field is a relative ad- vantage of Armenia’s development. “The field, which is declared to be pri- rmenian Ministry of Defence host- ority, naturally, demands also a special Aed discussions on cooperation per- approach from the perspective of its spectives with the Union of Informa- rmenian Minister of Economy development,” Davtyan said, adding tion Technology Enterprises (UITE). ATigran Davtyan said the Arme- that the government has been applying As the Defence Minister Seyran Ohan- nian government will submit to the a similar approach to the field for the yan noted, with information technologies Armenian parliament a new credit past years, providing organizational, having penetrated all spheres of life, the program at the amount of USD 24mln managerial and financial assistance. ministry must be kept abreast of the lat- for the development of IT field. The World Bank also pro- est trends, including the development of On April 2, Davtyan told journal- vided assistance to the field. military technologies, military data manage- ists that problems of structural nature April 2, 2011 www.panarmenian.net ment, advanced training for military experts. UITE CEO Karen Vardanyan cited Is- Number of mobile communi- , Yerevan rael as an example of successful combi- cation and internet users stress the importance of nation of IT and military technologies, doubled in Artsakh in 2010 material logistics of the urging to benefit from the example set. army The parties resolved to create a ead of the NKR National Statistical n March 31, the President of the Art- working group to develop coop- HService Manush Minasyan said that the Osakh Republic met eration strategies in specific sectors. number of mobile communication and inter- with the deputy defense minister of the April 1 2011, www.panarmenian.net net users increased by 55% in Artsakh in 2010. Republic of Armenia Alik Mirzabekyan. Karavachar liberation 18 Profits in the communication field to- Issues related to cooperation between the years ago among NKR De- taled AMD 7.1mln in 2010 that is 12.3% two Armenian states in the defense sphere fense Army victories higher compared to 2009, Minasyan were discussed during the meeting, with told a press conference on March 29. special attention given to the issues of ma- pril 2 marks the 18th anniversary of According to him, the number of fixed-line terial logistics of the army. AKaravachar liberation. Operations on telephony subscribers dropped by 748, but Prime Minister Ara Harutyunyan and de- liquidation of military bases of Karava- the number of mobile communication us- fense minister partook char (Kelbajar) region started on March ers grew by 10,500, amounting to 51,557. in the meeting, the Central Information 27-April 5, as they had posed a serious Around 50% growth was recorded in the Department at Artsakh President’s Office threat to western borders of NKR. Defen- number of Internet users, bringing it to 8,743. reported. sive posts in the regional center of Kelbajar March 29, 2011 www.panarmenian.net March 31, 2011 www.panarmenian.net were neutralized on April 2. After gaining Hrant Dink said once that Serj Tankian to present the intersection connecting Kelbajar with Gyanja (Gandzak), the Karabakh forces Turkey has always viewed his new poetry collec- reached Omar pass on April 5. The lib- Armenians as threat to its tion in Glendale eration of Karavachar was another serious safety victory of the NKR Defense Army. The re- n January 30, 2007, Deborah K. ystem of a Down frontman Serj Tan- gion, which hangs over the entire Nagorno OJones, U.S. Consul General Istanbul, Skian will discuss and sign his newest Karabakh plateau, has a great military and sent details of the November 14, 2006, poetry collection, Glaring Through Ob- strategic importance. Almost all rivers of meeting with Editor-in-Chief of Agos pa- livion, at 7 pm at Barnes & Noble Book- Nagorno Karabakh head in Karavachar per Hrant Dink to the U.S Department of sellers, Glendale, on March 29. Wrist region, and the water supply problem was State.The message read that “Dink’s tragic bands are required for attendees and solved with its liberation. Dadivank mon- death is a great loss for Turkey. Employ- will be distributed the day of the event, astery, a diamond of the Armenian archi- ees of the U.S. embassy and consulate had according to Glendale News-Press. tecture of Karabakh, is located in Karava- regular meetings with Dink. The last one Glaring Through Oblivion is a book of char. The monastery was founded by St. was on November 14, 2006, when Dink Tankian’s original poetry, strikingly il- Dadi who was the disciple of Thaddeus the met with representatives of the United lustrated by Roger Kupelian. Unique Apostle who spread Christianity in Eastern States Commission on International Reli- illustrations punctuate nearly 70 poems Armenia. Currently, the monastery is being gious Freedom. - almost none of which have ever been reconstructed. March 29, 2011 full story www.panarmenian.net published before. April 2, 2011 www.panarmenian.net March 29, 2011 full story www.panarmenian.net 3 AH ARMENIA HIGHLIGHTS PRO PATRIA Ida Kar, National Portrait Gallery, review EBRD completes its support to the Public Services when she met the British art dealer Victor Regulatory Commission Musgrave, who had been stationed in Cairo with the RAF. Kar divorced her first hus- band, married Musgrave, and followed him to London in 1945. She forged her reputation in Britain with a series of portraits of artists that were shown at Gallery One, which Mus- grave set up in the early Fifties. Her work began to appear in magazines such as Tatler. In 1960, she was honoured with an exhibi- tion at the Whitechapel Art Gallery. This veryone knows that the battle over was the first one-person photographic show Ewhether photography should be con- ever held in an important London space, sidered one of the fine arts was won long and it helped the public to accept that pho- ver the last six months, the Euro- ago. But occasionally an exhibition makes tography could be fine art. Its polemical Opean Bank for Reconstruction and you ponder the question afresh. The Na- title was Ida Kar: Artist with a Camera. Development (EBRD) has provided tional Portrait Gallery’s new exhibition, Looking at pictures of her Whitechapel ret- comprehensive support to the Public Services Reg- Ida Kar: Bohemian Photographer, devoted rospective, it’s clear that Kar was meticulous ulatory Commission (PSRC) in Yerevan, Armenia. to the London-based Armenian photogra- about the presentation of her photographs, This is part of a long-term programme of co-oper- pher who died in 1974, is one such show. which she blew up at great cost, and left ation aimed at developing the electronic commu- Kar is not well known today, but the NPG unframed. The National Portrait Gallery nications sector in Armenia, according to EBRD. considered her sufficiently talented to buy her adopts a more conventional approach. All Electronic Communications is one of the mar- entire archive, including 800 photographic of the nearly 100 prints on show are both ket sectors regulated by PSRC. Its overall ob- prints and 10,000 negatives, just over a dec- framed and relatively small, minimising jective is to provide businesses and consum- ade ago. It’s debatable, though, whether her and containing Kar’s vision, such as it was. ers in Armenia with a good range and choice appeal derives from the artistry of her images For instance, a portrait of Jacob Epstein of high quality mobile and fixed telecom- or from the fact that she persuaded so many taken in 1953, in which the sculptor’s hands munications, internet and broadcast services. famous people to sit for her. I suspect it’s the hold a seemingly impossible position, as Since September 2010, a team of 10 internation- latter, and that Kar was hitching a ride on the though his own body was subject to his ti- al experts with experience in Europe and North coat-tails of stronger artistic personalities. tanic ability to mould material, is shown America have given trainings at PSRC’s offices in Born to Armenian parents in in alongside two conventional studio portraits Yerevan. They have also used case studies from 1908, Kar lived in Paris during the late of film actors that date from the same period. other countries, to demonstrate the best regulatory Twenties, a period of heady possibility for With their dramatic artificial lighting, the pic- tools for fast development of the market. As well strong-willed female photographers (think tures of actors staring soulfully into the mid- as the PSRC participants, local staff from mobile, of Dora Maar and Claude Cahun). In 1933, dle distance are hackwork, evidence of Kar’s fixed and internet service providers have attended. she returned to Egypt, where she had been commissions as a self-styled “theatrical pho- Summing up his experience after attending educated, and married a government official. tographer” for the casting directory Spotlight. the training course offered within the EBRD- Her life changed irrevocably during the war, March 29, 2011 full story www.telegraph.co.uk funded programme, one of the participants praised “a team of renowned international ex- Iran urges stronger ties with Armenia perts who shared their knowledge and expertise on the recent developments and best-practice ran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dent, for his part, expressed delight over trends in the electronic communications field”. has called for the expansion of bilateral his presence at the International Nowruz I “All of the trainers were excellent, and the ex- relations and promotion of regional coop- Celebrations, saying the event can have a perience gained from this eight-week training eration with Armenia. significant role in bringing the two nations initiative was indeed invaluable for my deep- In a meeting with his Armenian counter- closer. er understanding of the telecom sector. And I part Serzh Sargsyan on the sidelines of the In a separate meeting with the vice presi- would like to convey my sincere appreciation International Nowruz Celebrations in the dent of the Kurdistan Democratic Party to the EBRD for this opportunity,” he added. Iranian capital, Tehran, on Sunday, Presi- (KDP), Nechirvan Barzani, the Iranian The international experts have assisted PSRC dent Ahmadinejad said Iran has placed no president described the bonds between outside the classroom too. In separate meet- limits on the development of cooperation Iran and Iraq as historical and cultural, ings, the experts have proposed new solu- with Yerevan and that the two states need stressing the importance of boosting two- tions and ideas to PSRC that will further to cultivate their relations as two friendly way relations with the aim of developing improve the competitive conditions in the neighbors. cooperation between the two countries. market for investors and for consumers. The Iranian chief executive also attached President Ahmadinejad went on to say that “The electronic communications market in importance on the implementation of pre- the “enemies” are seeking to weaken “in- Armenia is now set to develop in line with vious agreements and execution of projects dependent” countries and that unity and international best practices, in particular, in energy and transportation sectors, and solidarity of the Iraqi nation would defeat to satisfy the demand for high speed broad- called for preparing the grounds for fur- the enemies. band services to businesses and consumers. ther cooperation. The Armenian presi- March 28, 2011 full story www.presstv.ir March 29, 2010 full story www.finchannel.com

4 AH ARMENIA HIGHLIGHTS DIASPORA

Argentine Court Adopts Unprecedented Ruling On Is Baku Retreating Armenian Genocide from Threats to Shoot Down Planes? holds Turkey responsible for perpetrating and committing the Armenian Genocide. The zerbaijan appeared to have judge also stated Turkey should help Hair- Abacked away on Friday from abedian get information about his relatives. its threats shoot down planes us- Though the court’s decision does not set ac- ing a new airport in Nagorno-Kara- countability criteria for Turkey, it serves as bakh, which have been condemned grounds for Armenian organizations to raise by Armenia and mediating powers. the issue in international tribunals and courts. “ did not and will not use force In 2002, Justice Oyarbide officially re- against civil facilities, unlike Armenia, n Argentine federal judge declared quested the Turkish authorities to transfer which has earned notoriety for terror and A“the Turkish state committed the archive documents on Hayrapetyan fam- war against the civilian population,” Az- crime of genocide against the Arme- ily to the Argentine court. He also request- erbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman nian people between 1915 and 1923”. ed the English, German, US and Vatican Elkhan Polukhov told local news agencies. Judge Norberto Oyarbide sustained a claim by authorities to provide documents on the Polukhov was responding to Armenian Argentine-Armenian, Gregorio Hairabedian, 1915-1923 Armenian Genocide in the Ot- President Serzh Sarkisian’s Thursday who had filed a lawsuit against Turkey de- toman Empire. After studies that lasted 11 comments on the threats voiced by sen- manding to learn fate of his 50 relatives who years the Argentine court passed the ruling. ior Azerbaijani officials recently. One disappeared during the Armenian Genocide. Secret cables by consuls and ambassa- of them warned of “the physical de- In the claim submitted 11 years ago, Hair- dors who served in Germany at the time struction of airplanes landing in that abedian had asked the country’s justice greatly contributed to Oyarbide’s decision. territory” without Baku’s permission. system to prove that the Turkish state ”Al this were not just crimes against Armeni- Sarkisian said he will defy the threats was responsible for annihilating and tor- ans. The Turkish state was implementing a sys- by boarding the first commercial flight turing numerous Armenians in Svaz and tematic program aimed at the extermination of from Yerevan to Stepanakert in two Kharberd around the time of World War 1. the Armenian nation,” one of the cables read. decades, which is scheduled for May The ruling by Judge Norberto Oyarbide April 2, 2011 www.massispost.com 9. The flight will be timed to coin- Exhibition on ‘Landscape Paintings of the West’ to Fea- cide with the official reopening of Ka- rabakh’s sole airport closed in 1991. ture Tashjian Sarkisian’s statement was condemned photographer for the U.S. Navy. That by Azerbaijani President ’s perspective is sometimes still evident chief foreign policy aide. “This may in his landscape paintings in oil, acryl- be a provocation on the part of Arme- ic, and watercolor. Tashjian is a master nia,” the official, Novruz Mammadov, colorist whose work shows the influ- told 1news.az. “Some foreign diplo- ence of cubism and of Arshile Gorky. mats in Baku are of the same opinion.” Don H. Mundt’s watercolors are “At the same time, Azerbaijan is also not small, dreamy, wide-angle studies in sitting idly by and is closely monitoring color. His paintings have been exhib- Armenia’s actions,” he said. Baku “will ited throughout the west. His work is never come to terms with this state of rom May 6-31, New Mexico’s well represented in private collections affairs,” he added without elaborating. FMarigold Arts will present a group throughout the United States and in Mammadov also criticized the interna- exhibition of landscape paintings of Canada, Japan, and Germany. Robert tional community for its reaction to the the southwest by gallery artists, in- Highsmith’s watercolors make strong, matter, saying that it amounts to “appli- cluding Richard Tashjian, Don Mundt, simple statements that capture the light cation of double standards.” He accused and Robert Highsmith. Tashjian is and landscapes of the southwest, evinc- “international organizations and coun- an American-born Armenian, Mundt ing equal parts technical virtuosity and tries forming the world order” of dis- hails from Montana, and Highsmith heart. His work exhibits a softness of regarding Azerbaijan’s internationally was born in Alaska but has spent most light, shadow, and brush that can only recognized sovereignty over Karabakh. of his life in Las Cruces, N.M. All be accomplished with the immediacy The United States, Russia and France three are at the peak of mature painting of watercolor, complemented by the have denounced the threats to shoot careers and have fallen in love with the stark contrasts that lend the work its down Karabakh plane as “unacceptable” big sky and open spaces of the west- photorealism. Highsmith’s work has through their diplomats co-chairing the ern landscape, which each interprets been widely shown across the United Minsk Group of the Organization for in his own way. Tashjian has been an States and has won more than one hun- Security and Cooperation in Europe. accomplished plein-air painter and in- dred awards. March 18, 2011 trepid world traveler for decades. He March 18, 2011 Full story www.asbarez.com served in World War II as an aerial Full story www.armenianweekly.com "Armenia Highlights" is compiled in association with DISCLAIMER: Views expressed in "Armenia Highlights" do not necessarily reflect the views of the Government of Armenia.

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