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HANS-JOCHEN SCHMIDT : ONE SHOULD NOT MILK A COW OUT COMPLETELY, BECAUSE ONE DAY IT WILL GIVE NO MILK AT ALL
ArmInfo
February 20, 13:23
ArmInfo News Agency's Interview with German Ambassador Extraordinary
and Plenipotentiary to Armenia Hans-Jochen Schmidt
Mr. Ambassador, what investments in Armenia are expected from Germany
in 2012?
I suppose the companies, which made investments over the past few
years, will continue investing in 2012 as well. I mean, first and
foremost, the Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Plant (ZCMP), in which
the German company Cronimet Mining has seriously invested. In
addition, the company has also invested in production of lead-acid
storage batteries in Yerevan, which was launched two years ago. The
high-quality product of the company is not only meant for the Armenian
market, but is also exported to Georgia. Certainly, we would like it
to appear in the Azerbaijani market as well, but it is practically
impossible for certain reasons. Both enterprises will by all means
receive additional investments.
Trade in our economic relations is at a quite high level, and
this concerns the spheres of medicine, pharmacy, energy, as
well as technologies of production of such beverages as Jermuk,
Alexandropol, Pepsi, i.e. the beverages of the companies that use
German technologies. Armenia is interested in development of food
industry and food export. And Germany may become a good partner
in that.
Via some banks we also provide loans for agricultural projects on
preferential terms. The German Development Bank KfW, which is engaged
in German-Armenian financial cooperation, funds the projects in the
sphere of housing construction. The German ProCredit Bank operates
in the financial sector, though not so successfully as in Georgia.
Therefore, we'd like the Bank to expand its activity in Armenia
as well.
The investment of the German capital in ZCMP is a vivid example of
effective cooperation in one of the cornerstone spheres of Armenian
economy - ore mining industry. Being a large taxpayer in Armenia,
Cronimet Mining is not only developing mines, but is also implementing
numerous social and educational programs in Syunik region, and the most
important thing is that the company realizes the obligation to observe
the environmental standards. For instance, the German Government's
interest in protection of the environment is demonstrated by the fact
that Germany is ready to provide Armenia with a preferential loan
worth 40 mln EUR for development of alternative power engineering. In
addition, the German Agency for International Development GIZ
(Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit) has worked
out a program on protection of Armenia's forest resources. At present
the German Development Bank KfW has expressed willingness to provide
a 6 mln EUR loan for the reserves, including for those in Syunik,
and we are waiting for the reply of the governor of Syunik region.
However, the residents of Kajaran are discontent with the fact that
they will have to leave the village because of the plant's activity.
They have applied to you to organize a meeting with the head of the
company Gunter Pilarsky ...
No meeting has been held so far. The company is extremely interested
in ensuring good relations with the villagers and in settlement of all
problems for the mutual benefit. Thus, in 2006, when the company was
privatized, Pilarsky personally told the residents of Kajaran that
the activity of the German company would not harm a single resident
of Kajaran.
Within the next 20 years no prospecting work will be carried out in
this territory, and the decision on extension of mines is meant for
the future. It was reported then that the company would ensure the
re-settlement of the residents in other places. Today many people use
these territories for construction of country houses, but the company
does not want the territories to be used by people who settle there
to use the territories for speculative purposes and to exert pressure
on the enterprise.
There is a well-known German proverb: "One should not milk a cow out
completely, because one day it will give no milk at all". To tell
the truth, the criticism of environmental organizations against the
plant seems a bit strange to me. During my meetings in Syunik region,
I made sure that the company has a quite good reputation. The local
organizations and the residents spoke well about it and pointed out
the importance of the company's programs. The company, which is the
largest taxpayer in Armenia and the largest employer in Syunik, can
be an example in terms of implementation of social programs. Today the
company has about 3,000 employees. The average salary of employees in
Syunik is 147 thsd AMD, and the company monthly pays about 248 thsd
AMD to its employees. The company's employees often undergo medical
examination, and the company pays for their operations in Germany's
hospitals if necessary.
Let's pass to another important topic. As known, on January 23 the
French Senate adopted a bill criminalizing the denial of genocides. Do
you think that the German Bundestag may also adopt a similar bill?
In 2005 the German Bundestag adopted a resolution on the mass murders
in 1915 and before that. I think that from the point of view of
analysis and assessment of those events, this resolution unambiguously
formulates the injustice committed then. The topic of the genocide is
one of the most discussed topics in Germany. This issue is seriously
debated on. The film "Aghet" (Catastrophe) dedicated to this topic,
which was shown on the first TV channel of Germany is evidence of it,
and, in my opinion, the film gives a good analysis of the injustice
towards Armenians, as well as towards Greeks and Assyrians, as I have
learned here. There is also a German book telling about the Armenian
Genocide in 1915-1916. The author of the book is the well-known German
writer Wolfgang Hurst. The book sums up all the materials of the
political archive of the German Foreign Ministry regarding the events.
Both the film and the book mention the role of German military advisors
in Turkey of those days. For instance, I consider the statement of
the-then German Reichschancellor about the alliance of Germany and
Turkey to be politically unacceptable. He said that our only goal is
to hold Turkey beside us till the end of the war, no matter whether
Armenians would die or not. In the meantime, I do not think Bundestag
will initiate a bill criminalizing the genocide denial, like in the
case of Holocaust.
From: Baghdasarian
ArmInfo
February 20, 13:23
ArmInfo News Agency's Interview with German Ambassador Extraordinary
and Plenipotentiary to Armenia Hans-Jochen Schmidt
Mr. Ambassador, what investments in Armenia are expected from Germany
in 2012?
I suppose the companies, which made investments over the past few
years, will continue investing in 2012 as well. I mean, first and
foremost, the Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Plant (ZCMP), in which
the German company Cronimet Mining has seriously invested. In
addition, the company has also invested in production of lead-acid
storage batteries in Yerevan, which was launched two years ago. The
high-quality product of the company is not only meant for the Armenian
market, but is also exported to Georgia. Certainly, we would like it
to appear in the Azerbaijani market as well, but it is practically
impossible for certain reasons. Both enterprises will by all means
receive additional investments.
Trade in our economic relations is at a quite high level, and
this concerns the spheres of medicine, pharmacy, energy, as
well as technologies of production of such beverages as Jermuk,
Alexandropol, Pepsi, i.e. the beverages of the companies that use
German technologies. Armenia is interested in development of food
industry and food export. And Germany may become a good partner
in that.
Via some banks we also provide loans for agricultural projects on
preferential terms. The German Development Bank KfW, which is engaged
in German-Armenian financial cooperation, funds the projects in the
sphere of housing construction. The German ProCredit Bank operates
in the financial sector, though not so successfully as in Georgia.
Therefore, we'd like the Bank to expand its activity in Armenia
as well.
The investment of the German capital in ZCMP is a vivid example of
effective cooperation in one of the cornerstone spheres of Armenian
economy - ore mining industry. Being a large taxpayer in Armenia,
Cronimet Mining is not only developing mines, but is also implementing
numerous social and educational programs in Syunik region, and the most
important thing is that the company realizes the obligation to observe
the environmental standards. For instance, the German Government's
interest in protection of the environment is demonstrated by the fact
that Germany is ready to provide Armenia with a preferential loan
worth 40 mln EUR for development of alternative power engineering. In
addition, the German Agency for International Development GIZ
(Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit) has worked
out a program on protection of Armenia's forest resources. At present
the German Development Bank KfW has expressed willingness to provide
a 6 mln EUR loan for the reserves, including for those in Syunik,
and we are waiting for the reply of the governor of Syunik region.
However, the residents of Kajaran are discontent with the fact that
they will have to leave the village because of the plant's activity.
They have applied to you to organize a meeting with the head of the
company Gunter Pilarsky ...
No meeting has been held so far. The company is extremely interested
in ensuring good relations with the villagers and in settlement of all
problems for the mutual benefit. Thus, in 2006, when the company was
privatized, Pilarsky personally told the residents of Kajaran that
the activity of the German company would not harm a single resident
of Kajaran.
Within the next 20 years no prospecting work will be carried out in
this territory, and the decision on extension of mines is meant for
the future. It was reported then that the company would ensure the
re-settlement of the residents in other places. Today many people use
these territories for construction of country houses, but the company
does not want the territories to be used by people who settle there
to use the territories for speculative purposes and to exert pressure
on the enterprise.
There is a well-known German proverb: "One should not milk a cow out
completely, because one day it will give no milk at all". To tell
the truth, the criticism of environmental organizations against the
plant seems a bit strange to me. During my meetings in Syunik region,
I made sure that the company has a quite good reputation. The local
organizations and the residents spoke well about it and pointed out
the importance of the company's programs. The company, which is the
largest taxpayer in Armenia and the largest employer in Syunik, can
be an example in terms of implementation of social programs. Today the
company has about 3,000 employees. The average salary of employees in
Syunik is 147 thsd AMD, and the company monthly pays about 248 thsd
AMD to its employees. The company's employees often undergo medical
examination, and the company pays for their operations in Germany's
hospitals if necessary.
Let's pass to another important topic. As known, on January 23 the
French Senate adopted a bill criminalizing the denial of genocides. Do
you think that the German Bundestag may also adopt a similar bill?
In 2005 the German Bundestag adopted a resolution on the mass murders
in 1915 and before that. I think that from the point of view of
analysis and assessment of those events, this resolution unambiguously
formulates the injustice committed then. The topic of the genocide is
one of the most discussed topics in Germany. This issue is seriously
debated on. The film "Aghet" (Catastrophe) dedicated to this topic,
which was shown on the first TV channel of Germany is evidence of it,
and, in my opinion, the film gives a good analysis of the injustice
towards Armenians, as well as towards Greeks and Assyrians, as I have
learned here. There is also a German book telling about the Armenian
Genocide in 1915-1916. The author of the book is the well-known German
writer Wolfgang Hurst. The book sums up all the materials of the
political archive of the German Foreign Ministry regarding the events.
Both the film and the book mention the role of German military advisors
in Turkey of those days. For instance, I consider the statement of
the-then German Reichschancellor about the alliance of Germany and
Turkey to be politically unacceptable. He said that our only goal is
to hold Turkey beside us till the end of the war, no matter whether
Armenians would die or not. In the meantime, I do not think Bundestag
will initiate a bill criminalizing the genocide denial, like in the
case of Holocaust.
From: Baghdasarian