http://www.aysor.am/en/news/2011/05/17/armenian-trade-net/
Recently a conference was held under the auspices of the Ministry of Diaspora of various Armenian chambers of commerce and business associations from all over the world. The event was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of Armenia Mr. Tigran Sargsyan. During the two day deliberations delegates representing twelve organizations resolved to establish a global business association for all Armenian entrepreneurs and called it the Armenian Trade Network, a name reminiscent of the powerful old Armenian trade networks that linked East and West through trade for several centuries. Towards the end of the conference, the founding delegates were welcomed by the President of Armenia HE Serge Sargsyan who congratulated and welcomed the initiative, valued its significance for all Armenians and encouraged Diasporan entrepreneurs to seek out business opportunities in Armenia. We have asked the Secretary of the Board of the international Armenian Trade Network about the status of the newly established organization and the expected launch of its activities. Mr. Hrach Kaspar (representing the Canada Armenia Business Council) replied that: “for the upcoming two years, the founding assembly of the Armenian Trade Network entrusted the Executive Board portfolio to the Canadian delegation, which also received the mandate to register this new organization both in Canada and an international jurisdiction. I am happy to report that the registration process is already underway and will be completed within one week, following which formal activities will commence, especially the process of consolidating information on the various Armenian business communities.”
Vanessa Kachadurian Armenian Businesses
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Vanessa Kachadurian-Armenia to build new Zvartnots International Airport
http://armenianow.com/news/29779/armenia_zvartnots_airport_construction
An international airport near Armenian capital Yerevan will have a new functioning terminal by the end of this year.
According to the company managing the airport, by its technical parameters and passenger service quality the new arrivals and departures hall, due to open in October, will be the best in the region.
“At the end of the year we shall, in fact, have a new airport that will fully correspond to the International Air Transport Association’s B class airports (IATA rates airports according to A, B, C, D classes) which will double the potential of the existing airport,” said Zvartnots International Airport deputy director Andranik Shkhyan.
Zvartnots Airport opened in 1961. In 2001 the Armenian government and the Corporacion America group of Eduardo Eurnekian, an Argentine billionaire of Armenian descent, signed an agreement under which the Armenia International Airports company assumed 30-year concession management of the Zvartnots airport.
During this period large-scale activities on the improvement of the airport’s facilities and conditions have been carried out. At present, work is underway at 34,000 square meters of public area for a new terminal, for which an investment of $160 million has already been made.
According to Shkhyan, the new complex will offer 46 check-in desks instead of currently available 24, which will help avoid queues and large concentrations of people. The new facility will have separate spacious departure and arrival halls, a two-storey car park on a territory of 25,000 square meters for 600 cars at a time, or three times as many parking lots as are available today. Annually the new terminal will be able to serve up to 3 million passengers, instead of the current 1.6 million.
“During the past four years we have seen our passenger traffic increasing at an annual rate of 8-12 percent. The new airport will be able to accept up to 10 flights an hour instead of five flights today,” said Shkhyan, adding that the new complex will be fully fitted out with necessary equipment and will be able to properly serve also transit passengers.
Shkhyan also said that the current airport service rates were set in 2002 and have not been revised since then.
“Our tariffs are competitive as compared to a number of airports in Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey and are lower even than those at the airports of Vienna and London,” he said, adding that by its features the Yerevan airport twice exceeds the airports of Azerbaijan and Georgia.
A presidential building is also planned at the airport. This facility will be exclusively for serving high-ranking guests.
The total volume of investment for the construction of the new airport complex reaches $244 million. Funding is provided by Corporacion America and three banks. Most of the work is carried out by Armenia-based companies, but there are also contractors from Slovenia and Germany. A total of 600 workers are involved in the construction project.
The old airport building, according to Shkhyan, will continue to operate, but not as an airport.
“The old building will most likely become an administrative center and also a public area where it will be possible to organize conferences,” said Shkhyan.
Before the new complex is completed, passengers arriving at Zvartnots get outside through the VIP hall.
Vanessa Kachadurian-Armenia strengthening business in Europe and Persian Gulf
http://news.am/eng/news/59929.html
YEREVAN. - A total of AMD 6.2 billion from Armenia’s state budget was allocated to embassies and diplomatic representations aboard in 2010, which is AMD 2.2 billion more as compared to the same period in 2009. The spending increased after opening new Armenian embassies in Japan, Czech Republic, Brazil, the Netherlands, Spain, Kuwait and Iraq.
Opening of new embassies in European countries was due to the need to strengthen Armenia’s presence in Europe in the light of the country’s European integration, Armenia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Manasaryan said, presenting the report on 2010 budget fulfillment.
“The opening of the embassy in Kuwait was economically expedient and was conditioned by Armenia’s aspiration to strengthen its presence in the Persian Gulf,” he added.
According to him, Armenia state budget received AMD 2 billion from embassies in the reporting period mostly due to state duty.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Vanessa Kachadurian- Microsoft opens innovation center in Yerevan
TertAm Microsoft Corporation opened its innovation center in Yerevan on Wednesday.
The official opening ceremony organized at the State Engineering University was attended by Minister of Economy Tigran Davtyan, Minister of Education and Science Armen Ashotyan, US Ambassador to Armenia Marie Yovanovich and Microsoft Yerevan Office Director Grigor Barseghyan.
The company's representatives introduced the center's activities.
"This is a very happy day for us, and we have been looking forward to this momeent for more than four year," Barseghyan said in his opening speech.
He said the center will assist in all innovative projects in IT sector.
"Microsoft will fully support all innovations, promoting cooperation among state, private, public and international organizations," he said.
The minister of economy said the government keeps the IT sector in its spotlight as it finds the IT industries can have a direct impact on the country's economy.
"The government makes continuous efforts to support the sector," he said.
In her speech, Ambassador Marie Yovanovich said that information technologies are among Armenia's most successful and most rapidly developing industries, which is mostly due to highly qualfied human resources in the sector.
Minister Armen Ashotyan noted for his part that the Microsoft has only licensed software and products, and Armenia's educational institutions use its licensed products.
Equipped with up-to-date technologies, the new center aims to promote innovation in Armenia, revealing new ideas and proposing IT solutions for different sectors of the economy.
"The center will support the best ideas that can help create a new product which would have a demand on both the domestic and international markets. It will implement short- and long-term programs to give students and specialists new skills and knowledge for bringing their ideas to life," a company's representative said.
At the end of the ceremony, Microsof Array company signed a memorandum of understanding with the US Agency of International Development (USAID) and the Enterprise Incubator Foundation
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