Month: November 2009

ARFD: MUNICH MEETING TO BE OF NO USE

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
20.11.2009 17:45 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ No specific steps will be undertaken before
ratification of Armenian-Turkish Protocols, ARF-Dashnaktsutyun
representative Ara Nranyan told a parliament briefing. Armenia’s
ratification of Protocols will mean consent to Turkey’s preconditions.

"As far as Karabakh issue is concerned, there are no pre-requisites
for compromise with Armenia. That’s why, I don’t think Munich meeting
will be of any use," Nranyan stressed.

NO AGREEMENT ACHIEVED FOR ARMENIAN AND AZERI FOREIGN MINISTERS’ MEETING IN ATHENS

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
20.11.2009 17:52 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ No agreement has been achieved for Armenian and Azeri
Foreign Ministers’ meeting on the margins of OSCE Foreign Ministers’
Summit due in Athens, FM Edward Nalbandyan told a PanARMENIAN.Net
reporter during a joint news conference with his Lithuanian colleague
Vygaudas Uackas. "The most important is the top-level meeting due
in Munich. As regards the Athens meeting, such bilateral working
discussions are peculiar to OSCE Foreign Ministers’ Summit, but there’s
no specific agreement for a meeting with Azeri FM," Nalbandyan said.

OSCE Foreign Ministers’ annual summit is due in Athens on December
1-2. Discussions will bring together Foreign Ministers from
organization’s 56 member states.

"ORINATS ERKIR" BELIVES: RA GOVERMENT’S STATEMENT ABOUT THE GDP GROWTH IS VALID

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
20.11.2009 18:04 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "The Armenia’s draft budget 2010 ensures consistency
of all previously envisaged programs," Heghineh Bisharyan , secretary
of Orinats Yerkir national Assembly faction and and Hovhannes
Margaryan, member of the faction said November 20 during a briefing
at the National Assembly.

According to the MP, "Orinats erkir" attaches a great importance
to continuation of construction works in the disaster zone, paying
back to population the debts of soviet bank deposits, to the start of
cumulative funds operation, which will allow the retired to receive
double pensions.

"Orinats Erkir" belives, that RA goverment’s statement about the next
year GDP growth (1.2 per cent ) is valid. As Hovhannes Margaryan
suggests, "next year, the construction of the north-west highway,
the Iran-Armenia railway and new nuclear power station will bring
vast resources in the economy of Armenia".

REFUGEES’ RETURN MAY BE CONSIDERED AFTER FINAL SETTLEMENT OF KARABAKH CONFLICT

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
20.11.2009 18:21 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ If NKR Foreign Minister says his country was not
introduced to Madrid Principles on Karabakh conflict settlement,
it is necessary to believe him, FM Edward Nalbandyan told a joint
news conference with his Lithuanian colleague Vygaudas Usackas.

"Probably, those document should have been introduced to official
Stepanakert by OSCE MG rather than Armenia," said Nalbandyan.

Commenting upon Azerbaijani side’s statement on Azeri refugees’
return issue being included in negotiation agenda, Armenian FM said,
"The issue in broader context – I mean the return of over 400 Armenian
refugees – may be resolved after final settlement of Karabakh conflict
when the country has relevant security guarantees. "

IRANIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS CRITICIZE RUSSIA’S DECISION TO POSTPONE BUSHEHR NUCLEAR STATION’S LAUNCH

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
20.11.2009 18:36 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Iranian Energy Commission will study Russian
activities at the Bushehr Nuclear Station due to delays in the plant’s
launch, the Mehr news agency reported today.

"We expect serous results at the Iranian nuclear station by the end
of year, but the launch will not take place," Russian Foreign Minister
Sergey Shmatko told journalists earlier in Moscow.

The station’s launch at full capacity has been temporarily postponed.

Russian and Iranian experts started trials at the station in February.

Officials from both countries said the station will be put into
exploitation in 2009. Bushehr will operate on Russian enriched uranium
as opposed to fuel produced in Iran.

Iranian parliamentary representatives criticized Russia’s decision
to postpone the plant’s launch, saying they will study the activities
of Russian experts at the Bushehr Nuclear Station.

The Iranian-Russian contract for the construction of the Bushehr
Nuclear Station was signed in 1995 in Tehran. The contract’s total
value is $1 billion. The construction was initially to finish by Jan.

8, 1999. Ten years have passed, but the station is still not ready
to open. The Russian AtomStroyExport company is building the plant,
Trend News reported.

HERITAGE DISAPPROVES OF 2010 DRAFT BUDGET

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
20.11.2009 19:25 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Parliamentary discussions over 2010 State Budget
proved the document was unrealistic, since there are a lot of problems
in terms of both incomes and expenses," Heritage faction MP Armen
Martirosyan told a November 20 National Assembly briefing.

While drafting the State Budget, Government did not take into
consideration the significant price growth registered in the country,
hence the document does not envisage salary increase. "Neither will
there be any progress in poverty eradication sphere, so Heritage
finds the document unacceptable," MP stressed

AGO GROUP FIXES PROGRESS IN ARMENIA’S EFFORTS TOWARDS OVERCOMING CONSEQUENCES OF MARCH 1 TRAGEDY

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
20.11.2009 19:40 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ National Assembly Speaker Hovik Abrahamhyana has
received members of CoE Ago Monitoring Group headed by Ambassador
Stelian Stoyan, Romania’s Permanent Representative at the Council of
Europe.

Welcoming the guests, Speaker briefed on post-electoral developments
in Armenia, as well as the country’s measures towards eliminating the
consequences of March 1, 2008 tragic developments.

Thoroughly discussing the processes following post-electoral
developments, parties agreed that the country fixed certain progress
in the sphere and stressed the importance of continuing efforts
towards stimulating public trust in state structures and creating an
atmosphere of public consent.

Parties also touched upon Armenian-Turkish rapprochement, RA NA press
service reports.

ARA NRANYAN: IN 2010 THE SITUATION TO WORSEN FOR ARMENIAN CITIZENS

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
20.11.2009 19:45 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Armenia’s state budget for 2010 is not encouraging.

In 2010 the situation will worsen for Armenian citizens, since private
transfers from abroad reduced, price growth is observed, while the
RA government does not envisage any increase in wages," Ara Nranyan
deputy of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun faction said on November 20, during
a briefing at the National Assembly of Armenia.

According Ara Nranyan, if the Central Bank of Armenia is not able
to keep the dollar rate lower 420 AMD margin, then the foreign debt
will rise to 50 per cent of GDP and our country will be unable to
service it.

According to Ara Nranyan, Armenian government used very inefficiently
the credits and "Armenia may find itself among bankrupt countries."

However, MP also said that ARF has not yet determined, to vote for
or against this budget.

ARMENIAN FOOTBALL TEAM 99TH IN FIFA RANKING

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
20.11.2009 19:54 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Football Team was announced 99th in
November 20 FIFA ranking. Armenian team went up 1 point with 323
points on its score.

Currently, Armenia is ranked before Azerbaijani and Georgian teams
(116th and 125th places accordingly).

Spanish, Brazilian and Holland teams are graded first to third,
followed by Italy.

AGO GROUP WELCOMES NORMALIZATION OF ARMENIA-TURKEY RELATIONS

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
20.11.2009 19:58 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian
met with members of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers Ago
Monitoring Group, headed by the Permanent Representative of Romania
to the Council of Europe, Ambassador Stelian Stoian in Yerevan.

Welcoming the guests, the Armenian Foreign Minister stressed the
significance of the visit in terms of familiarizing with reforms
implemented in Armenia.

During the meeting Minister Nalbandian stressed the importance of
Armenia’s membership in the Council of Europe, implementation of
reforms in various fields, promotion CoE agenda and country’s full
participation in the activities of different CoE structures.

The two sides exchanged views over Armenia-Turkey relations. Ago group
welcomed the process of normalizing relations between Armenia and
Turkey and the Council of Europe expressed its readiness to facilitate
this process. At the request of the guests, the RA Foreign Minister
dwelled on the latest developments in the negotiation process on
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, press service of RA Foreign Ministry
reports.