SECOND ARMENIA-DIASPORA CONFERENCE UNDERWAY

[MosJan]

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SECOND ARMENIA-DIASPORA CONFERENCE UNDERWAY

 

Some 1,500 delegates from around 50 foreign countries have arrived in the Armenian capital to join with another 1,500 from Armenia and Artsax to participate in the Second Armenia-Diaspora Conference that opened today in Yerevan, Armenian Armenpress news agency reported..

 

Armenian president Robert Kocharian, prime minister Andranik Margarian, Nagorno Artsax leader Arkady Ghukasian, parliament members from Armenia and Nagorno Artsax, senior Armenian clergy were attending the opening ceremony of a two-day pan-Armenian gathering, which, as claimed by Armenian officials, is to be a more practical-oriented unlike the first one, held in 1999, which was to rebuild the bridges between Diaspora Armenians and their compatriots in Armenia proper during the years of the rule of ex-president Levon Ter-Petrosian who was not favoring too much the Diaspora and its organizations.

 

The opening address was made by foreign minister Vartan Oskanian, who leads the steering commission. Oskanian emphasized the Conference in terms of bringing together Armenians from different corners of the world, describing it as the best means to strengthen the mutual confidence, to specify the priorities and draft practical projects.

 

Armenian president Robert Kocharian briefed the present on the country's foreign policy trends, domestic political and economic conditions. He also referred to the international recognition of the Armenian genocide of the 1915 and the Artsax conflict regulation process. A special emphasis was made on the prospects for furthering Diaspora-Armenia relations in virtually all areas.

 

"Armenia is a Council of Europe member country which means that democracy and human rights protection issues have become our international commitments and are subject to constant monitoring by the international organizations," he said. He also pledged to ensure fair and transparent handling of presidential and parliamentary elections, both slated for 2003.

 

In a reference to economy conditions, Kocharian said the volume of implemented reforms allow free market relations operate at full length. " A favorable business friendly climate is being established in the country, a major reason for attracting new investments, vital for moving ahead, " he said. According to him, Armenia's imminent accession to the World Trade Organization will allow the country to enter all WTO member countries' markets. Kocharian also enumerated a range of achievements, made since the first Conference in 1999, among them broadcasting of Armenian Public TV programs across the globe from Australia to the USA, designing and handling pan-Armenian events, such as pan-Armenian athletic games, pan-Armenian song festivals, the building of pan-Armenian youth Center, to be completed in several years, retraining of Armenian language and history teachers from the Diaspora and many others.

 

In a reference to the ongoing opposition around Nagorno Artsax Kocharian reiterated Armenia's position that it could be resolved by peaceful means only. "We recognize the right to self-determination of the people of Artsax and their right to self-defense and we believe that Artsax must also become a participant to all negotiations," he said. Keynote speakers were then Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, the head of the Cilicia Catholicosate Aram I, the leader of Artsax, representatives of Armenian benevolent organizations, prominent Diaspora Armenians.

 

 

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[MosJan]

"MADE IN ARMENIA" INDUSTRY EXHIBITION OPENED IN YEREVAN

27.05.2002

 

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Made in Armenia" industry exhibition, where about 90 Armenian companies present their products has opened within the framework of the "Armenia-Diaspora" second forum. As "Arminfo" reports, the aim of the exhibition is to show the Armenian compatriots Armenian production that can successfully compete in international markets. "This exhibition demonstrates that Armenia is in the state of poor brother and has a rather developed economy and industry", Armenian Premier Andranik Margiarian stated at the opening ceremony. He noted the key role of Diaspora in assistance in the promotion of the Armenian production in the world markets. The Armenian agency of development is the organizer of the exhibition. The production of over 60 companies presented at the exhibition is exported. The companies specializing in food, agriculture, textile industries as well as in spheres of tourism, information technologies and other fields of economy are introduced.

 

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[MosJan]

WEB-PORTAL SILICONE ARMENIA SOON TO WORK

 

MAY 25. A web-portal Silicone Armenia will soon act, devoted to information technologies of Armenia. The president of the Union of companies on information technologies (UITE) Hovhannes Avoyan informed in the course of the work of the Second Pan-Armenian forum Armenia-Diaspora. According to him, one of the most important component of the site http://www.SiliconeArmenia.com (.am) is to assist increasing the professional level of IT-specialists. Educational materials will be placed in the resource. Moreover, the portal will provide an opportunity of distant education. Besides the educational information in the site, materials concerning the IT-economy of Armenia and the whole work will be placed in the site, it is also planned to create data bases of IT-companies of Armenia and a site B2B for carrying out business operation. However the site will not be a commercial and the whole information will be in open access. This project of creation of web-portal is financed by the World Bank at $50,000, as well as by a number of foreign organizations - UITE, "Armenian Union of higher technologies of the USA", "Armenian association on information technologists" (ARITA) and "IT-incubator of enterprises".