ARMENIAN PEACEKEEPING CONTINGENT TEMPORARILY WITHDRAWN FROM KOSOVO
Mediamax News Agency
Feb 8 2012
Armenia
Yerevan/Mediamax/. Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan said
today that the Armenian peacekeeping contingent has been temporarily
withdrawn from Kosovo.
The Minister recalled that the Armenian contingent served in Kosovo
under the Greek command and was withdrawn “due to some problems,”
Mediamax reports.
The details will be reported later.
PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT GIVES A PUBLIC LESSON TO TURKISH MINSTER
Mediamax News Agency
Feb 8 2012
Armenia
Yerevan/Mediamax/. The President of the European Parliament Martin
Schulz advises Turkey to “face his own history”.
Martin Schulz said this at a joint press conference with Turkish
Minister for the EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis,
Mediamax reports. The Zurich public prosecutor’s office has launched
an initial investigation into Egemen Bagis over the public denial of
the Armenian Genocide.
“You should face your own history and you should allow independent
inquiries about your history. If the independent inquires come to
the conclusion that it was Genocide, you should recognize it,” said
Martin Schultz.
Egemen Bagis said that “in 2005, the Turkish Prime Minister wrote in
a letter to the Armenian President to which the Armenian side so far
has not responded positively.
He also said that “Turkey is ready to establish international committee
of historians and scholars and to accept their findings, as long as
those findings are based on archives not only of Turkey and Armenia,
but also other countries involved, including Germany who was one of
the Turkish best allies in 1915. Also UK, Russia, France, USA.”
Mediamax notes that it was not accidental that Bagis mentioned Germany
in a special context, as the President of the European Parliament
Martin Schulz is German.
“We are politicians; we have responsibilities in shaping the future,
not the past. Politicians should not steal the role of the historians
who should study history and make judgments,” Bagis added.
However, Martin Schultz gave a different recommendation:
“As German and especially as German president of multinational
parliament, I have to live every day with our past, which is not easy
past. It is a very difficult one. Demons of the past are lasting until
today, every day I am confronted with the past of my country. But my
country, and I am proud of this, during six decades is facing its own
history; is recognizing not to be guilty – because our generation is
not guilty for the crimes committed in the past. But we are responsible
to avoid that it could happen once more. To be as open as possible
to the past is the best way to the future.”
ARMENIA READY TO CONTINUE PEACEKEEPING MISSION IN KOSOVO – DEFENCE MINISTER
Mediamax News Agency
Feb 9 2012
Armenia
Yerevan, 8 February: Armenian Defence Minister Seyran Ohanyan told
Mediamax today that Armenia is ready to continue its peacekeeping
mission in Kosovo.
Talking to Mediamax’s correspondent, the minister clarified his
statement made at a press conference today as to which the Armenian
peacekeeping unit has temporarily been withdrawn from Kosovo.
Seyran Ohanyan recalled that the Armenian peacekeeping unit in
Kosovo serves under the Greek command and the Greek side reduced its
participation in the KFOR operation due to financial issues.
The minister said that the Armenian unit withdrawn from Kosovo is
currently in Yerevan but if one of the partner-countries offers
the same conditions as in case of the Greek command, Armenia will
continue its peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, mostly logistics expenses
are concerned.
The minister said that Armenia has received a similar offer from
Hungary which is now being discussed.
Answering Mediamax’s question, Seyran Ohanyan ruled out that the
unit withdrawn from Kosovo could join the Armenian contingent in
Afghanistan.
The minister recalled during the press conference today that Armenia
has increased the number of Armenian soldiers serving in Afghanistan
three-fold in 2011.
RUSSIA, ARMENIA TO MODERNIZE INFRASTRUCTURE ON IRAN BORDER
Mediamax news agency
Feb 9 2012
Armenia
Yerevan, 9 February: The secretary of the Security Council of the
Russian Federation, Nikolay Patrushev, said in Yerevan today that
“the assessments of Russia and Armenia of the situation in the region
coincide”.
Secretary of the Armenian National Security Council Artur Baghdasaryan
described the talks with this Russian counterpart as productive,
noting that they reached an agreement to deepen military-technical
cooperation between the two states, continue cooperation in the border
sphere and modernize the infrastructure on the Armenian-Iranian border,
Mediamax reports.
He spoke of the importance to establish an Armenian-Russian Regional
Centre for Emergencies.
From: A. Papazian
ARMENIAN INTEREST RATES REMAIN STABLE AS INFLATION REMAINS WITHIN TARGET RANGE
by: Venla Sipila
Global Insight
February 9, 2012
The Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) has in its February meeting
decided to keep its refinancing interest rate unchanged at 8%,
Reuters reports. The last rating revision was a cut in September, when
inflation eased within the CBA’s target band. The decision follows the
latest inflation data from the National Statistical Service showing
that consumer prices in January increased by 4.8% year-on-year (y/y),
the annual inflation rate thus edging back to its November 2011 level,
following a rate of 4.7% y/y posted in December. Food prices started
the year up 6.0% y/y, while January saw non-food good prices rising
by 3.6% y/y and service tariffs gaining 3.5% y/y. In month-on-month
(m/m) comparison, prices in January increased by 3.6%. Annual inflation
last year averaged 7.7% (seeArmenia: 11 January 2012:).
Significance:The year started with the inflation rate clearly within
the target range set by the CBA at 4% with a variation band of 1.5
percentage points on either side. At present, we expect that inflation
will be contained within this range in the coming months and quarters.
Demand-side inflation pressures should remain fairly weak, and the
overall growth outlook subject to downward risks in the current
external environment. High commodity prices are still supporting
mining sector export revenues, but the uncertain outlook for
important remittance inflows, also implies inflation risks. Indeed,
in the case of a marked deterioration in current transfer flows,
financial stability in the still very dollarised economy might be
jeopardised, and any exchange rate pressures would be reflected in
inflation pressures as well, especially given that Armenia remains
reliant on imports for some basic consumer goods.
RUSSIA, ARMENIA HAVE ALLIED RELATIONS AND SUPPORT EACH OTHER — PATRUSHEV
ITAR-TASS
February 9, 2012 Thursday 01:12 AM GMT+4
Russia
Russia and Armenia have allied relations and supported each other in
all fields, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said.
“We have allied relations with Armenia, and we support each other
practically in all areas and jointly solve problems we encounter,”
he said at a meeting with officers of the Russian military base and
the border guard department of the Federal Security Service in Armenia.
“This allows us to minimise costs and solve our tasks as effectively
as possible,” he added.
“On the whole, the situation in Russia and Armenia is absolutely
normal and does not require any special measures. We must control it
and make corrections if necessary,” Patrushev said.
“In addition to analytical and other work, our Security Councils
are also engaged in inter-departmental activities,” he said, adding
that officials from different, mainly power-wielding, ministries and
agencies have come with him to Armenia.
“Work becomes more targeted when the interests of agencies are
interconnected,” he stressed.
Patrushev said the purpose of the visit is to coordinate issues at
the inter-departmental level.
Earlier this week, Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov
visited Armenia to discuss economic cooperation. He noted that trade
turnover between the two countries in 2011 had reached one billion
U.S. dollars.
“We have good prospects in many sectors of the economy, primarily in
the energy sector, the power industry, atomic energy, and many other
serious projects,” Zubkov said upon arrival in Yerevan on a working
visit at the invitation of Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisyan.
“Over the past four years, our relations have become even warmer,”
Zubkov said, recalling his previous trip to Armenia in February 2008
as prime minister at that time.
In his opinion, Sargsyan’s state visit to Russia in October 20112
helped strengthen political relations between the two countries.
“Ministries and agencies of our countries are actively working to
implement the instructions that were given by the heads of Russia
and Armenia” after that visit, Zubkov said.
“Big prospects lie in joint development of the agro-industrial sector
in Armenia,” he added.
“We cooperate practically in all areas, and we are pleased by the pace
with which our relations develop, even though we always want more,”
the president said.
ARMENIA, RUSSIA TO SET UP DEFENSE JOINT VENTURES
Interfax
Feb 10 2012
Russia
New Armenian-Russian defense companies will be formed in Armenia, said
Artur Bagdasarian, Secretary of the Armenian National Security Council.
“The Armenian-Russian military-technical cooperation will be deepened.
A working group will be set up in the near future to draft a
new agreement regarding the Armenian-Russian military-technical
cooperation, as a result of which new joint military ventures will be
formed,” Bagdasarian was quoted by Armenian media outlets as saying
after talks with Russian counterpart Nikolai Patrushev in Yerevan
on Thursday.
Also, it has been agreed to open an Armenian-Russian training center
in Armenia to retrain border guards, and an Armenian-Russian joint
regional center for emergencies, he said.
The talks also focused on the situation in South Caucasus, Patrushev
said for his part. “Our assessments coincide,” he said.
WORLD BANK GROUP AND ARMENIA COOPERATE TO REDUCE ADMINISTRATIVE BARRIERS FOR ENTREPRENEURS
TendersInfo
February 9, 2012 Thursday
The Investment Climate Advisory Services of the World Bank Group
and the Ministry of Economy of Armenia today agreed to work together
to reduce the administrative burden for businesses and improve the
investment climate in Armenia, especially through IFC, a member of
the World Bank Group.
Tigran Davtyan, Minister of Economy of the Republic of Armenia, and
Thomas Lubeck, IFC Regional Head for the Caucasus, signed the agreement
in Yerevan today authorizing cooperation between the government and
the Armenia Investment Climate Reform Project. The project builds on
close collaboration established within the framework of the Armenia
Doing Business Reform – Regulatory Simplification Project, which was
implemented by IFC from 2009-11.
One of the key priorities of the Armenian government is to develop a
favorable environment for business people, both to attract foreign
investments and increase Armenia s competitiveness in the global
market, said Tigran Davtyan, Minister of Economy of Armenia. A number
of activities are implemented in this regard, and partnering with
IFC in the scope of Armenia Investment Climate Reform Project is one
of them.
A better investment climate will strengthen Armenia s private sector
and increase overall economic growth in the country. In partnership
with IFC, the Armenian government will implement a number of reforms
in the areas of taxation, trade logistics, business inspections, and
food safety. IFC will also assist the government in raising awareness
among entrepreneurs on the benefits of these reforms.
Thomas Lubeck, IFC Regional Head for the Caucasus, said, We welcome
the government s willingness to make doing business easier for Armenia
s entrepreneurs. Armenia has already made progress in this area,
which was confirmed in the Doing Business Report 2012 rankings. We
look forward to helping the government make further improvements that
will benefit businesses, particularly those in the agribusiness sector,
which provides significant employment in Armenia.
Through the previous project IFC has helped Armenia streamline
start-up procedures for businesses and simplify the tax system and
customs control procedures. IFC also helped the government make
business inspections more efficient and transparent, and to reduce
the average time required to obtain a construction permit.
About the Investment Climate Advisory Services of the World Bank Group
The Investment Climate Advisory Services of the World Bank Group helps
governments implement reforms to improve their business environment,
and encourage and retain investment, thus fostering competitive
markets, growth and job creation. Funding is provided by the World
Bank Group (IFC, MIGA, and the World Bank) and over fifteen donor
partners working through the multidonor FIAS platform.
From: A. Papazian
AZERBAIJAN OFFERS ARMENIA ASSISTANCE IN RECREATING YEREVAN’S HISTORICAL CENTER
Interfax
Feb 10 2012
Russia
Baku has offered assistance to Armenia in restoring the historical
look of its capital city and pledged to provide maps and drawings of
ancient Yerevan, spokesman for the Azeri presidential administration
Fuad Akhundov told Interfax.
Armenia earlier announced plans to restore the historical center
of Yerevan.
“If Yerevan does want in earnest to reconstruct the historical look of
the city we would be glad to hand ancient maps and drawings to it,”
said Akhundov, who is in charge of the presidential administration’s
socio-political department.
“Also, there are canvasses by well-known European painters Tavernier
and Chardin, and by Russian painters Rubo and Gagarin meticulously and
elaborately representing the 19th century Erivan Fortress,” he said,
adding that a large collection of drawings and plans of old Yerevan
can be found in Russian archives.
“I have heard of a project, dubbed ‘Old Yerevan’ through Armenian
media. Curiously enough, a replica of the late 19th century – early
20th century architecture is to appear instead of the actual mediaeval
center of the city, methodically destroyed by the Armenian authorities
in the Soviet era and in the epoch of Armenia’s independence,”
Akhundov said.
“It is an attempt to delude the world public and to manipulate the
discussion of the city’s authentic image and give Yerevan a look that
has nothing to do with history,” he said.
The explanation to this is that “the true look of mediaeval Irevan
(now Yerevan) was a creation of Azeri architects. Reconstruction of
the authentic image of the city’s historical center would be at odds
with the Armenian ideology which maintains that Armenians have been
living in the region for about 8,000 years,” Akhundov said.
EU TO GRANT ARMENIA [email protected] BILLION FOR FAIR ELECTIONS
Vestnik Kavkaza
Feb 10 2012
Russia
Armenia may receive a grant of [email protected] billion if the upcoming
parliamentary polls will be held without violations, ARKA reports.
EU ambassadors in Armenia sent a message, stating that ~@100 million
will be granted to Armenia in September 2012, if observers give
positive ratings to the electoral process.
The EU will organize a conference at the end of 2012 to discuss the
polling results and decide on whether or not to hand the grant.