Month: November 2006

WE NEED IN STATE EFFORTS
Aram Abrahamian
Aravot, Armenia
Nov 2 2006
Turks and Azerbaijanis have always paid more attention to propaganda
than the Armenians do. I suppose that one of the reasons is the
difference of national character; those peoples pay more attention to
external effects, demonstrative steps than we do. And we can notice
it easily comparing our and their literature and art. Besides this
basic difference there is another certain circumstance; why the
Azerbaijani propaganda is more active since 1994. That circumstance
is the following; those who lose cry more loudly than the winners.
“What else could Azerbaijan do? It has lost the war, the control over
Karabakh, fell under influence of about 500 thousands refugees. What
must the President of Azerbaijan and Foreign Minister answer their
people is not to pretend as if they struggle to get NK and occupied
territories back”,- RA first President writes in his famous article.
That’s true, but 12,5 years have passed since the cease fire and there
is no hope the conflict will be settled soon. During this period the
Azeris are very active and our neighbours aggressive style will have
its results.
I remembered all these when we were informed that the Azeris presented
a book in the international book fair in Frankfurt, the main part of
which was devoted to anti-Armenian propaganda. That cynical lie may
produce a great impression on middle literate European.
And we, the Armenians, have a right to wait for the opposing answer
of our state.
The officials say in this case: “Just you, the journalists must be
engaged in it”. I don’t agree with it.
First of all journalism and PR are different things. And the second,
if I try to prove with the help of Armenian newspaper that Amberd is
an Armenia monument, my readers will consider it rather strange.
We need in state efforts, state approach.

IN THE LONG RUN BILL IS NO BENEFIT
Lragir, Armenia
Nov 1 2006
How will Armenia benefit from the bill on the genocide adopted by
the French parliament? The Lragir asked this question to its readers
over the past two weeks. 24 percent think Armenia will not benefit,
18.8 percent think that the bill adopted by the French parliament
will hinder the relation with Turkey. 29.3 percent think that it is
merely another moral victory, and 27.9 percent think it enhanced the
political importance of Armenia.

CONSCIOUS IDEA IS IDEA, UNCONSCIOUS IDEA IS …
Hakob Badalyan
Lragir, Armenia
Nov 1 2006
The problem of transport of Armenia is downplayed by the volume of
Russian investments. Haylur reported that President Robert Kocharyan
expressed this interesting idea during his visit to Moscow.
Certainly, investments and transport are interrelated. When there
are no transport routes, it is natural that the country cannot be
attractive for investments. The vivid example is Armenia, where the
investments of Germany, which is a leading country by the volume of
its foreign investments, hardly total 97 million dollars. And it is at
least surprising that instead of relating the Armenian president simply
opposed transport and investments saying that the absence of one is
downplayed by the other. Or maybe it is known to Robert Kocharyan in
case of which amount of investments Armenia will not need transport
routes any more. In reality, it is clear that the Armenian president
has nothing else to say especially if he is in Moscow. The Russians
have blocked the transport route of Armenia, and by the way, it is
not important why, even if we take into account that they had blocked
Verin Lars long before the Russian-Georgian tensions. Consequently,
either the Armenian president should not have talked about transport
in Moscow, which would definitely appear strange, or first he should
have demanded explanation from Russia about its indifference towards
its strategic partner. However, as usual, Robert Kocharyan chose the
third way – to speak and to justify Russia. And, in fact, in Moscow
the Armenian president raised the issue of transport and immediately
let it go, saying that there are no routes but instead the Russians
are making investments.
Meanwhile, Russian investments in the Armenian economy total about
67 million dollars. In addition, this is the index of the official
statistics. Ostensibly, this 67 million dollar is the price of the
transport route of Armenia. Is it expensive or cheap? It is hard to
tell. If it were easy, the president would tell about it in Moscow.
He did not tell, it means it is not important. And would we exchange
the rest of the transport routes for another 67 million dollars? Why
not? Especially that soon we will not need them anymore, given the
decline in exports, reported by the same official statistics.

67 PERCENT BELIEVE RUSSIAN MILITARY BASE IS USEFUL FOR ARMENIA
Lragir, Armenia
Nov 1 2006
Two thirds of respondents of a public poll conducted in Armenia have
a positive opinion on the existence of the Russian military base
in Armenia. The news agency ARKA reports that the Gallup Institute
conducted the survey in association with the Armenian sociological
association. The poll was conducted July 31 to August 10, and 1200
residents of Armenia participated. 67 percent absolutely believe
that the Russian military base in Armenia has a positive effect for
our state, 15 percent think this question is not so significant, 12
percent think that the effect could be both positive and negative. 2
percent said the effect is negative, and 3 percent declined to answer.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ANDRANIK MARGARYAN DREW UP “MAGNIFICENT” BUDGET FOR THE NEXT PRIME MINISTER
Lragir, Armenia
Nov 1 2006
On November 1 the Armenian government and the standinc committees of
the National Assembly kickstarted debates on the State Budget 2007.
If formerly names were given to the state budget that are related to
the economy, such as a budget of survival or a budget of development,
this time Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan, in presenting the budget
bill, thanked the government for “drawing up a magnificent document”.
The minister of finance Vardan Khachatryan was much more modest,
“This is the bill of the state budget of 2007.”
Hardly twenty members of parliament participated in the debates, which
is at least strange, since each committee includes over ten members
of parliament. The members of parliament, who showed up, represented
the coalition, and the only representative of the opposition was Aram
Gaspari Sargsyan, who left after listening to the prime minister. It
should be noted that this important bill of the state interests only
10-15 percent of the members of parliament.
Now about the magnificent budget. The government estimates a 68.3
billion drams deficit of the Magnificent, a nearly 4 percent inflation,
a 9 percent growth of the GDP, the government will battle economic
crime and improve tax and customs administration. As a result of
this improvement the executive estimates collections of 50 billion
drams. The government is hopeful that the imports will grow by 13.5
percent, exports by 16 percent, however the balance of trade will be
negative and will total 903 million drams. And since the prime minister
left without meeting the news reporters, the minister of finance Vardan
Khachatryan had to do the hard work of additional comment. One or two
news reporters hardly managed to find out from the prime minister
that independent from who the next prime minister will be, “Normal
conditions are created for the activities of the next government, the
next prime minister.” The minister of finance thinks the growth of the
negative balance of trade is not dangerous because it does not exceed
5-6 percent of the GDP. “Many countries would dream of this.” Our
foreign debt will grow as well, but “it will not affect essentially
the country’s capacity to pay.” And judging by different standards,
Armenia will be considered a country of low or average burden of debt.

AZERBAIJAN’S TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY IS NOT RELATED TO NAGORNO-KARABAKH REPUBLIC
Lragir, Armenia
Nov 1 2006
After the meeting of the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan
in Paris the Azerbaijani side did not state anything for several
days. Apparently, they were evaluating the results. And seven days
later the Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev suddenly gave a news
conference and made several significant statements. With regard to the
Karabakh issue he said that the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan
is not a subject of the talks, and all Baku can give to Karabakh is a
status of autonomy. In fact, Aliyev outlined the stiff borders of the
“compromise” acceptable for Baku before the meeting of the foreign
ministers in Brussels on November 14. Although the foreign minister of
Azerbaijan Mammedyarov followed him and tried to mitigate the words of
the president. He mentioned that the mediators take into consideration
not only the standpoint of Azerbaijan but also that of the other party.
Commenting on the statements of the Azerbaijani president, the deputy
foreign minister of NKR Masis Mayilyan said that the territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan has nothing to do with Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic. “Two independent states emerged in the territory of former
Soviet Azerbaijan, the Republic of Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic. NKR was established in accordance with all the international
standards. And in this sense the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan
cannot be a subject of the talks. The fact that the world recognized
the results of the referendum in Azerbaijan and did not recognize the
results of the referendum in Karabakh allowed Azerbaijan to claim to
Karabakh and use military force,” said Masis Mayilyan.
The deputy foreign minister also commented on Ilham Aliyev’s statement
that if the independence of Karabakh is recognized, the Armenians
living in other countries will also claim independence.
Masis Mayilyan says the people of Karabakh have never been diaspora.
This territory has always been controlled by the Armenians, therefore
this comparison is absurd, says Masis Mayilyan.

BLACK ECONOMY MAY LEAD TO ECONOMIC REDISTRIBUTION
Lragir, Armenia
Nov 1 2006
The Union of Producers and Entrepreneurs of Armenia invited November 1
the president of the Central Bank, the minister of trade and economic
development, and the economic adviser to president to the ring. The
“fight” was on the dollar-dram exchange rate. The Union of Producers
and Entrepreneurs of Armenia made an attempt to explain to the
president of the Central Bank Tigran Sargsyan that the unpredictable
revaluation of the dram can stifle industry in Armenia because it is
becoming less competitive. Meanwhile, Tigran Sargsyan was trying to
persuade the businessmen and economists that even a policy of a fixed
exchange rate of the dollar would not solve the problem of competition,
because in that case prices would soar, which would affect the volume
of consumption. Tigran Sargsyan said the exchange rate of the dollar
is an inevitable consequence of the economic growth, and such countries
like Japan, Songapore and China have encountered this problem.
The president of the Central Bank advised the businessmen to focus
on technology and modernization, corporative management, involve
additional capital through shares and stop working in the shade to
become competitive rather than seek excuses in the exchange rate of
the dollar. The president of the Central Bank even announced that
there is not a group of businessmen in Armenia, who could help the
government battle black economy.
Answering Tigran Sargsyan, the president of the Union of Producers and
Entrepreneurs Arsen Ghazaryan first said that the Armenian businessmen
are intelligent enough to understand the necessity of modernizing
production. This is what they have been doing over the past three or
four years, stated Arsen Ghazaryan. However, the fluctuations of the
exchange rate of the dollar in Armenia does not allow for considering
competition. We sign a deal abroad, and before we get to Armenia,
the exchange rate changes, says Arsen Ghazaryan.
He says they can understand that the revaluation fo the dram is
inevitable and they can understand the objective reasons, the problem
is that this process is unsteady and abrupt, which complicates decision
making, because there is no way to predict the situation.
Besides, Arsen Ghazaryan announced that there are a number of Armenian
businessmen, who are against the black economy, and make efforts to
battle it, yet there are others who get immense profit, and operate
in the shade, and do not suffer losses from this exchange rate or
whatever juggling, whereas the ones who work legally suffer.
Arsen Ghazaryan also announced that the same businessmen operating in
the shade prevent corporative management and the policy of involvement
of additional assets. There is so much black capital that they can
change the economy in a day buying one company or another created
for years.

RUNAWAY CONVICT ARRESTED
Armenpress
Nov 02 2006
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS: Armenian justice ministry said
officers of its criminal investigation department tracked down and
arrested a man who had escaped the Kosh prison on October 26.
A brief press release by the ministry said the man, Liparit
Hovhanesian, was arrested on November 1. It said also Liparit
Hovhanesian was sentenced to a lengthy prison term for a robbery
and murder.

12 NGOs WIN GOVERNMENT GRANTS TO ADVOCATE DANGERS OF SMOKING
Armenpress
Nov 02 2006
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS: The Public Dialogue and Developments
Center has revealed today the names of 12 non-governmental
organizations, which were recognized winners of a competition for
government grants to advocate dangers of smoking.
This was the second tender for government grants to this end held
by the Public Dialogue and Developments Center, picked up by the
government to organize and steer these competitions. The first tender
held earlier this year was won by 10 non-governmental organizations.
One of these organizations, the Association of Pediatricians and
Psychologists, will hold a 90-minute march on November in downtown
Yerevan 4 titled ‘No to Smoking.’ The World Health Organization
(WHO) estimates that 63.7 percent of Armenian men are smokers – the
highest rate in Europe. By comparison, an estimated 60 percent of men
in neighboring Georgia and 31.2 percent in Azerbaijan are smokers. The
number of smoking women also increases, the bulk of them in Yerevan.

CENTRAL BANK TO OPEN BRANCH IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH
Armenpress
Nov 02 2006
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS: Central bank governor Tigran Sarkisian
said it has got down to building a branch in the town of Shushi in
Nagorno-Karabakh.
He said as Armenian national currency-Dram- is used by Nagorno-Karabakh
as its sole legal and official means of payment the Armenian government
and the Central bank have decided to build an independent structure
in Karabakh to store part of reserves to reduce on one hand collection
expenses and to ensure security on the other hand.
According to a Central bank study, every person arriving in Armenia
brings with himself or herself on average $8,700. If applied to 450,000
people who arrive in Armenia annually it will appear that about $3.5
billion in cash are brought to this country in 12 months.
Central bank governor Tigran Sarkisian cited these figures as one
of the reasons behind a dramatic decline of US Dollar value over
Armenian Dram. He said based on some other studies in the financial
market the balance between export and import of US Dollars is $400
million positive.
However, Sarkisian admitted that the studies of the Central bank
were insufficient to offer a complete picture of how things stand on
the local financial market, particularly, of the exact amount of US
Dollars brought in and taken out in cash since the law does not set
a limit to the amount of cash Dollars a person can bring in or take
out of Armenia.
He said this liberal legislation must be reviewed towards bringing
it in conformity with international standards. He suggested that a
limit of $10,000 be established for free export and import of cash
US Dollars.