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| September 1 |
Armenia's government announced this
week that it plans to borrow $10 million from international financing
institutions for the creation of a venture capital fund to develop
information technologies in Armenia. Armenian Deputy Minister of Industry
and Commerce Armen Grigorian said that his government has reached
a preliminary agreement with the World Bank to borrow $5 million to
create the venture fund. He added that continuing negotiations on
this issue should attract other international organizations and private
investors.
Currently, over 50 computer-programming businesses operate in Armenia.
Of these, ten have American clients. Experts estimate these companies'
annual revenues at $500 million. International and local experts consider
Armenia to have great potential for developing information technology.
Reports say that the Armenian government has made this part of Armenia's
economy a priority for development and appears willing to support
it through tax breaks and customs privileges.
The Turkish parliament's recent ratification of an agreement with
ten other Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) member states sets
the stage for the opening of a first-ever Armenian representation
in Turkey, a senior official in Yerevan said August 28. However, he
emphasized that this development should not be considered the establishment
of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The agreement between Turkey and BSEC that every member state, including
Armenia, may open a permanent representation in the organization's
Istanbul headquarters was signed last April in Moldova. Armenian Deputy
Foreign Minister Armen Martirosian told reporters that the Armenian
government would establish a mission in the Turkish city. He added
that although Armenian diplomats in Istanbul will "not avoid
dealing with bilateral [Armenian-Turkish] issues," they will
focus on promoting economic cooperation within the BSEC framework.
He said Ankara's agreement to have an Armenian mission on its territory
does not constitute rapprochement between the two countries. Successive
Turkish governments have made normalization of relations conditional
on Armenia's acceptance of Azerbaijani sovereignty over Nagorno-Karabagh.
Days after being warned of expulsion from the government, the People's
Party of Armenia (HZhK) said on August 28 that it does not intend
to leave the ruling Unity (Miasnutiun) bloc, which together with Prime
Minister Markarian's Republican Party of Armenia (HHK), makes up the
Unity bloc. "Miasnutiun is our inherited capital. If it still
can serve the people, we must do everything to preserve it,"
Minasian said.
High summer temperatures and drastically low rainfall in the latter
half of June have caused a severe drought throughout Armenia, resulting
in extremely high crop loss, dangerously dry conditions and low river
levels. Crop damage is expected to exceed $40 million. Since 60-65%
of the food consumed in Armenia is produced locally, authorities expect
food shortages. |
| September 8 |
Armenia hosted a three-day seminar on
prevention and management of natural disasters this week, the Armenian
news services reported. The seminar, held under the auspices of the
NATO's Partnership for Peace (PfP) program, brought together representatives
of more than a dozen countries, including the United States, and was
the first of its kind in the region. The seminar participants discussed
ways to cooperate in rescue operations, train local populations to
prepare for natural disasters, and create national financial and material
reserves to deal with effects of calamities, such as earthquakes. |
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