Earthguakes Gontinents Apart Spawn $lOO Million Trade Partnership

arthquakes 12,(m miles apart brought Armenia md America's Techpo,rt kternational together. Their relationship could soon be woth $100 million.

The San Mat@, Californiq company, which has no Armenian directors nor any previons involvement in the country, is negotiating six joint ventures.

The largest is a 5G50 partnership with the Armenian Courcil of Ministers for a gypsum factory in Yerevan to produce quake-resistant lightweight building panels.

"We are going to innoduce the,m to Califomia-style building," said ompany vice-hesident John Mosstaghimi.

The parrrership began when Arrrenian officials visited San Francisco and saw how well its buildings had witlrstood the 1989 earthquake in comparison to the deyastation at horne.

Two years of talks followed that first meeting. Work should begin on the factory this year, with poduction n 1992. lVith associated mining wort and a light metal factory, employment should total 800 people, paid in a mixture of rubles and dollars to encourage initiative.

The government will provide the infrastructure, land, and property, while Techport will bring ttre technotogy and management. Each side is committing the equivalent of $20 million to the joint venture, named Zvarhots-Techport.

Some 40% of the panels will be exported to provide hard currency and profits fm both paffiers. The rest will be used for local construction, particularly in the earthquake zone.

Techport also plans a $10 million business center, with office and hotel accornrnodatiorL safellit€ cornmunications, and shops, in parmemhip with an Armenian-Russian joint venture. Armenia's version of the Moscow Trade Center could

Ottrer projecB involvs a reramic tiles factory, and mining for marble and granite in northern Armenia All told, fte company and the government will invest $100 million, pnoviding 2,fi)0 jobs, he said.

Mosstaghimi is "very optimistic" abwt doing business in Armenia. There & substantial labor savings, beter even th*m Taiwan or Kmq and wckers are rell,, educated. Armenia is also a good bose fm entering the Iarger Soviet market

But Armenia's drive for independence from Moscow had created fears about unrest in the counfiy, and mde it bEd to know where real authority lay-

"You don't need independence withort any money. You need factories aild to have factories you need calm and stability," he said.

"Of course, they want independence btrt ttre people we are involved wift at leaEt say it is going to be calm. They know that otherwise we woqd,oot *"