Month: November 2009

NON-RESIDENT COMPANIES IN ARMENIA WILL PAY TAXES FOR INCOME IN THE AMOUNT OF 10% SINCE 2010

ARKA
Nov 3, 2009

YEREVAN, November 3. Non-resident companies in Armenia will pay
taxes for income in the amount of 10%", said Armen Alaverdyan, Deputy
Head of Committee of State Income of Armenia on Tuesday during the
press-conference.

"Companies which conduct business in Armenia and receive dividends will
have to pay taxes for income in the amount of 10% regardless of the
legislation of their countries", said Alaverdyan. It does not refer to
the countries with which Armenia has agreement on exclusion of double
taxation. For example Russia will pay taxes in the amount of 5%. After
adopting the law in 1998, non-resident companies getting income
from their activities in Armenia, were paying taxes in the amount
of 15% but in 2000 the rate was reduced to 10% and for the companies
corresponding to the criteria, zero percent rate was defined.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN FINANCE MINISTER FINDS 2010 STATE BUDGET FEASIBLE

ARKA
Nov 3, 2009

YEREVAN, November 3. /ARKA/. Armenian Finance Minister Tigran Davtyan
finds the 2010 state budget feasible.

On Friday, speaking at discussions in National Assembly, he said that
the budget implies economic stabilization and will enable the country
to reach economic development in 2011.

The minister said that the 2010 state budget revenue was planned at
AMD 676.6 billion against AMD 772 billion in the 2009 state budget.

He said that tax receipts were planned at AMD 553 billion in the
2010 budget.

The amount is greater than that of 510 billion planned for 2009.

The minister said that taxes will have 16.6% share in GDP in 2010
against 16.4% planned for 2009.

Official transfers from the European Union, Germany and other foreign
countries and organizations will amount to AMD 15 billion in 2010.

Expenses totals AMD 859.6 billion in the 2010 state budget.

Of them, 85.7% are current expenses.

Davtyan said that the government left current expenses unchanged –
they are equal to those of the 2009 state budget, which was composed
before the recession.

Taking into account insufficient resources, the government cut capital
expenses to ensure current expenses.

The 2010 budget deficit is planned at AMD 183 billion, which will be
covered from inside and outside sources.

"The planned budget deficit is quite large. The 2010 situation will
differ from that of 2009, when we had to appeal to the Armenian
parliament for permission to enlarge the deficit. We will return to
pre-crisis indicators," Davtyan said.

The dollar is planned to cost 376 in 2010.

PM: INTRODUCTION OF BEST URBAN-PLANNING STANDARDS AMONG ARMENIA’S OBJECTIVES

ARKA
Nov 3, 2009

YEREVAN, November 4. /ARKA/. Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan,
speaking Friday at the third congress of the Union of Armenian
Constructors, said introduction of the best urban planning standards
is among Armenia’s objectives.

"We have chosen European Union’s directions regulating this area.

Experts say the EU construction directions derive from the best urban
planning practice."

Sargsyan said referring to the results of studies that this area has
big holes that should be plugged with joint efforts.

"Many urban planning standards haven’t been adopted in Armenia so far.

This creates grave problems for us. The state is in need of your
assistance," he said addressing the congress participants.

The premier also said that if special groups are set up in the Union
of Armenian Constructors with skilled specialists included in them,
this work will be useful for ensuring breakthrough in this area.

"The urban planning ministry is already working out such programs,
and we invite you to take part in the elaboration," he said.

ARMENIA HAS AVOIDED SO FAR SWINE FLU CASES

ARKA
Nov 4, 2009

YEREVAN, November 4, /ARKA/. Armenian health minister Harutyun
Kushkian said today no cases of swine flue have been reported in the
country. Speaking to journalist he said health authorities have taken
all precautionary measures to ward off penetration of the disease
into Armenia.

According to the minister, Armenia has avoided so far any cases of
swine flu due to "diligent 24-hour strict sanitary hygienic control"
in airports and border crossings since April. He said a deputy health
minister with a team of specialists have left today for Bagratashen
border crossing on the Armenian-Georgian border for a closer monitoring
of the situation because the diseases is raging in Russia, Ukraine;
cases of swine flue were reported also in Armenia’s neighbouring
countries.

The minister said passengers flying into Zvartnots International
Airport are required to fill out a form that includes information on
the passenger’s intended whereabouts in Armenia and contact information
in case they experience any symptoms of the flu. Besides, a special
infrared scanner detects arriving passengers with high temperatures.

The minister said he ordered recently to buy 9000 extra doses
of Tamiflu drug used to treat people with flu. He said also the
authorities have not bought anti-swine flu vaccine waiting for the
final results of testing in many countries.

ORANGE ARMENIA OBTAINS LICENSE FOR RADIO FREQUENCIES

ArmInfo
2009-11-04 14:30:00

ArmInfo. By decision of the Public Services Regulatory Commission,
Orange Armenia has obtained license for use of radio frequencies.

The frequencies have been provided for 10years for organization
of radio relay links. The Company received 6 frequency bands –
18250/19260, 18305/19315, 18360/19370, 18415/19425. 18525/19535/ and
18580/19590, and it should activate them till February 1, 2010. The
rate of data transfer by communication lines will make up 155 x
2048 Kbit/sec.

Orange Armenia is subsidiary of France Telecom. The Company obtained
license for rendering of mobile communication services in Armenia in
November, 2008. Launch of the Company’s services has been scheduled
for November 5.

WHY IS ORHAN PAMUK HATED SO MUCH IN TURKEY?

ArmInfo
2009-11-04 16:36:00

ArmInfo. Just go to Google and write in Orhan Pamuk and "hain" (the
Turkish equivalent of traitor) and you will get almost 40,000 hits.

There are many Turks who hate Pamuk, but why? To get answer to this
question see the item by Orhan Kemal Cengiz in the Tioday’s Zaman.

Thus, the author writes: "He (Pamuk) is the only Turkish writer/artist
ever to have received the Nobel Prize. Of course, there are also
many people in Turkey who greatly admire Pamuk, including myself,
but then again there are many others who really hate him, and this
is worth thinking on.

An ordinary nationalist person in Turkey either dislikes or hates
Pamuk. One of the main reasons for that is Pamuk’s remarks about
past atrocities in Turkey. In 2005, during an interview with the
Swiss publication Das Magazin, Pamuk said: "Thirty thousand Kurds
have been killed here, and 1 million Armenians. And almost nobody
dares to mention that. So I do." That’s it. Just these few sentences
created so much turmoil in Turkey. I believe Pamuk still suffers from
it. First there was a charge against him under the infamous Article
301, for denigrating Turkishness. It is, of course, an historical
irony that the person who glorifies Turkey, Istanbul, Anatolia and
therefore "Turkishness" with his magnificent novels was put on trial
or insulting it. This is Turkish tragicomedy. This is the price Turkey
has long been paying for not confronting its past.

Pamuk was tried under this article before the article was finally
amended and the case dropped. However, some legal avenues remained
that could be used against Pamuk. A person who is now being tried
in the Ergenekon (deep state) case and five of his friends brought
a compensation case against Pamuk, claiming that their feelings were
hurt because Pamuk’s remarks "denigrated Turkishness." The court of
first instance refused to hear the case, stating that no one could
claim compensation for "an attack on personal rights" just for being
a member of the Turkish nation. We all took a deep breath and hoped
that this embarrassing process was closed. But then the nightmare
started again when "plaintiffs" took the case before the Supreme Court
of Appeals. That court overturned the decision of the court of first
instance and decided that according to Article 66 of the Constitution,
"Everyone connected to the Turkish State with the bond of citizenship
is Turkish," and that just as individuals had honor, feelings of
belonging to a nation were also part of personal values. Do you see the
implications of this decision? Theoretically every Turkish citizen,
70 million individuals, can bring cases seeking compensation against
Pamuk. This is a legal lynching. In practice, it will not work like
that — because of the statute of limitations, it is not possible to
bring a new case for these past remarks against Pamuk.

And I think the appeals court will change this "precedent" in some
other case in the future. They are just trying to give a strong
"message" to Pamuk — the message of the Turkish "deep" state.

There were also some other campaigns against Pamuk in the Turkish
media: Some "writers" and "columnists" accused him of imitation and
plagiarism. During trials, he received many death threats, and later
left Turkey for New York. When he returns to Istanbul, as he does
occasionally, he does it secretly. What a shame for Turkish society!

Where does all this hatred come from? I’ve already mentioned one
source, namely, the denial of the past. As with a neurotic person,
when you touch old wounds, you confront an uncontrollable storm of
anger in Turkey. You become a "traitor," which is the easiest thing
to be in my country.

I believe even if Pamuk had not said the things he said about past
atrocities in Turkey, he would not have been welcomed enthusiastically
by nationalist Turks. Because Pamuk talks on behalf of the real
Turkey, which has a long history and rich traditions, which embraces
different cultures, different ethnicities and different religions. For
the nationalist Turk, Turkish history either starts 80 years ago or
with a distorted Ottoman past. Pamuk represent peace with the real
identity of this country, openness, harmony and a readiness to grow
and to become richer culturally. For nationalist Turks, there is no
friend except Turks, and Turkey is surrounded by enemies. In every
country there are, of course, nationalist people, but in Turkey this
"typology" is supposed to be the norm. The ideal citizen is a secular,
nationalist, white Turk who adores Ataturk and his "revolutions." The
ideal citizen of Turkey is too artificial, too shallow to embrace any
real depth like the one Orhan Pamuk represents. So Pamuk represents
an unbearable figure for them. They can only handle him in this
"lynching" context.

I recently realized that some nationalist Web sites were attacking
me by drawing parallels between me and Pamuk. They think they are
insulting me, but I really enjoyed the way one of them mentions my
name: It says Orhan Pamuk Cengiz. I hope one day I actually deserve
their compliment!"

The author of the item working in Turkey as lawyer and human rights
defender for long time has been repeatedly threatened and subjected
to terror for his activity.

LEADER OF COMMUNIST PARTY OF ARMENIA DENIES STATEMENTS ON TERRITORIAL BELONGING OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH ASCRIBED TO ARMENIAN COMMUNISTS

ArmInfo
2009-11-04 16:31:00

ArmInfo. Secretary General of the Communist Party of Armenia Rouben
Tovmasyan has denied the statements on territorial belonging of
Nagorno-Karabakh that were ascribed to Armenian Communists.

Tovmasyan said at today’s press-conference that the statement of the
First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Azerbaijani Communist
Party Rauf Gurbanov saying that representatives of Armenian and
Azerbaijani Communist Parties met in Moscow is a lie. Tovmasyan also
denied the statements of Azerbaijani Communists saying that during
the meeting in Moscow the representatives of the Armenian and Azeri
Communist Parties discussed the Karabakh problem and the Armenian
Communists allegedly said that they consider Nagorno-Karabakh to be
the territory of Azerbaijan.

NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: NATO WILL NOT PLAY A ROLE OF ITS OWN IN THE MEDIATION

ArmInfo
2009-11-04 14:06:00

ArmInfo. NATO is indeed very concerned with the conflicts in the
South Caucasus, says NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen in
an interview with Day.az.

"It is vital that these conflicts be resolved peacefully and within a
reasonable timeframe. Regarding Nagorno-Karabakh, I very much welcome
and support the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group to assist Armenia and
Azerbaijan to find a settlement to this conflict. Recently, these
efforts have gathered momentum and I hope that we will see further
progress. NATO will not play a role of its own in the mediation,
but we will use our political dialogue with both parties to promote
a peaceful solution to the conflict," he says.

Asked about possible role of NATO in peacemaking in Karabakh, he says:
"It would be hypothetical to address the question of a possible NATO
role in peacekeeping in Nagorno-Karabakh, and I do not believe it would
be useful to engage in any speculation on this topic at this time. As
for Kosovo, I would caution against generalizations and attempts to
apply the unique circumstances of Kosovo to other conflicts or regions
of the world. NATO’s task to provide a safe and secure environment
in Kosovo, which is mandated by the United Nations Security Council,
is distinct from the question of Kosovo’s status.

This is well illustrated by the fact that, in addition to nations that
recognise Kosovo’s independence, nations that do not recognise Kosovo’s
independence contribute forces to KFOR as well," Fogh Rasmussen says.

NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: CURRENT EFFORTS BY ARMENIA AND TURKEY TO NORMALIZE THEIR RELATIONS CAN HAVE A BENEFICIAL EFFECT ON THE FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF NATO

ArmInfo
2009-11-04 14:04:00

ArmInfo. "It is not true, that the difficulties that Turkey and Armenia
have had in their bilateral relationship constituted, as you say, a
"serious obstacle" to the development of NATO-Armenia relations in
the past," says NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen in an
interview with Day.az.

"Armenia has been a member of the Partnership for Peace since 1994
and NATO- Armenia relations have been developing dynamically for a
considerable period of time now. So I do not think, that there is a
direct link between the two processes.

That said, I welcome the recent agreement signed between Turkey and
Armenia. I am confident, that the current efforts by Armenia and
Turkey to normalize their relations can have a beneficial effect
not only on the further development of NATO’s ties with Armenia,
but also on regional security as a whole," he says.

RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY: WE SEE OUR ROLE IN SUPPORTING THE KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT BUT WITHOUT IMPOSING ANY FORMULAS FROM OUTSIDE TO ITS PARTICIPANTS

ArmInfo
2009-11-04 11:34:00

ArmInfo. We see our role in supporting the Karabakh conflict
settlement, searching of decisions on the key problems, but without
imposing any formulas from outside to its participants. We are stemming
from the fact that Azerbaijanis and Armenians themselves should be
chiefly responsible for the final choice, Russian Deputy Foreign
Minister Grigoriy Karasin said in an interview with ‘Respublika
Armenia’ newspaper.

He recalled that Russia is has been taking an active intermediary part
on the matter of the Karabakh conflict settlement since beginning
of the relevant negotiating process. ‘At present Moscow has been
implementing these functions on the multilateral basis together with
the USA and France coming forward as a co-chair of the OSCE MG – the
main international forum for searching for the political settlement of
Nagornyy Karabakh conflict. At the same time we make the intermediary
efforts in the bilateral contacts with our partners in Yerevan and
Baku. It is not accidental that when meeting President of Armenia Serzh
Sargsyan on 12 October in Moscow Dmitriy Medvedev called the Russian
participation in the process of Nagornyy Karabakh settlement as "a
very important measure of our relations" in general’, – Karasin said.

He also added that Russia will be ready to support that option of the
conflict settlement which will be acceptable for all the parties to
the conflict, and in case of reaching compromise – Russia is ready
to come forward as a guarantor of settlement. ‘It is clear that
only that decision will become viable, which will make it possible
to return stability and calmness in the South Caucasus, and in the
post-conflict period will help to preserve the geo-political balance
of forces and will not lead to turning the region into the arena of
international political and military rivalry’, – he said.

‘Despite the existing disagreements the parties to the conflict
have managed to reach certain progress in coordination of the basic
principles of settlement. Moscow is going to continue taking all the
possible actions to ensure further development of the process’, –
Russian deputy foreign minister concluded.
From: Baghdasarian