Month: February 2015

ARMENIAN PRODUCTS ENJOY DEMAND IN IRAQ

Roza Hovhannisyan, Reporter
Business – 11 February 2015, 16:05

Trade between Armenia and Iraq increased thanks to the high demand
of Armenian products in the Iraqi market, the Armenian ambassador to
Iraq Karen Grigoryan told Lragir.am.

According to the National Statistics Service, Armenia-Iraq trade
increased by 3.5% last year. In addition, exports from Armenia to
Iraq increased by 66.5% and imports decreased by 9.6% in 2014.

Lragir.am inquired which Armenian products enjoy high demand in Iraq.

Ambassador Grigoryan said Armenian agricultural products and strong
drinks have growing demand in Iraq.

“Armenia exports to Iraq agricultural products and alcoholic drinks.

Armenia imports mostly oil from Iraq. Trade levels increase because
Armenian produce and preserves are increasingly demanded on the Iraqi
market,” the ambassador said.

Karen Grigoryan noted that at this stage he cannot reveal the projects
they are working on now.

In answer to the question on possible investments, the ambassador said
some investors have expressed interest in the Armenian market but he
cannot state that there is likelihood of major investments in Armenia.

Karen Grigoryan held out hope that direct flights between Iraq and
Armenia will boost trade between the two countries. He has information
that from February 26 direct flights Yerevan-Baghdad and Yerevan-Erbil
will be operated by the national carrier of Iraq.

“It will lead to development of tourism, it may have a positive impact
on strengthening trade,” the ambassador stated.

CHESS: NINE PLAYERS TO REPRESENT ARMENIA AT EUROPEAN INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIP

CHESS | 11.02.15 | 10:19

Nine chess players will represent Armenia at European Individual Men’s
Chess Championship 2015 opening in Jerusalem, Israel, on February 24.

According to the tournament’s official website, a total of 251
chess players from 31 countries have submitted applications for
participation, 116 of whom are grandmasters and two are women’s
grandmasters.

Armenia will have the fourth largest representation at the championship
after Israel (100 participants), Russia (42) and Ukraine (13).

The following players will represent Armenia in Jerusalem:
Grandmasters Hrant Melkumyan, Gabriel Sargsyan, Vladimir Hakobyan,
Karen H. Grigoryan, Robert Hovhannisyan, Zaven Andriasyan, Samvel
Ter-Sahakyan and first-class chess players Arman Mikayelyan and
Vladimir Poghosyan.

The championship will be held till March 8.

From: A. Papazian

EBRD REDISTRIBUTES BONDS WORTH AMD 2 BILLION IN ARMENIAN CURRENCY

16:25, 11 February, 2015

YEREVAN, 11 FEBRUARY, ARMENPRESS. The European Bank for Reconstruction
and Development has redistributed the coupon bonds (EBRDB3) issued
for the third time expressed in AMD. As NASDAQ OMX Armenia reports to
“Armenpress”, bonds worth a total of AMD 2 billion were presented
for redistribution.

The EBRD’s bonds worth a total of AMD 2 billion, at a nominal value
of AMD 10 thousand, with a grace period of 6 months and with 17%
coupon profitability, will be circulated in the Stock Market with the
abbreviation “EBRDB2”. The signing of targeted and repo transactions
will also be allowed.

NKR PRESIDENT LIED: VETERAN ON THE ATTACK IN LACHIN

02.11.2015 16:07 epress.am

The attack on the Founding Parliament movement’s members in Berdzor
(Lachin) by the NKR administration was either a direct order from
or approved by Baghramyan 26 (RA President’s Office), basically a
state crime, said the latter movement’s coordinator, veteran Jirayr
Sefilyan today during a press conference about the attack registered
on the NKR border.

He explained that the NKR authorities and media had begun working
against the Founding Parliament since December of 2014, when they had
made a statement about possibly having a car rally to Karabakh. “In
the beginning of December their controlled scribblers (journalists)
began damaging the movement and us personally, on the village level.

Then they tried using the connections between us and forced us to
suspend the rally,” said Sefilyan.

The movement’s coordinator stressed that the NKR police chief Kamo
Sahakyan personally asked him to give up the idea of the rally. Not
receiving the desired response, the police chief said that he had
spoken to NKR President Bako Sahakyan, and the latter had promised
that the Founding Parliament would have their awareness campaign live
streamed on TV, instead of the rally. However, the movement’s members
were skeptical about the promise, Sefilyan left to Karabakh with his
friends anyways.

“It’s natural that Bako Sahakyan lied, he said that he hadn’t promised
anything. On that day, they admitted that they had dreamed for a year
of entering the Eurasian Economic Union. Of course, it pains us to
hear such an idea from a man who controls Artsakh’s frontline, which
thousands of dedicated men have spilled blood for. After all this,
some low ranking official chinovnik comes and says something like
that,” noted Sefilyan.

The latter stated that “we are going to go to Artsakh again,” because
no one can force their will on others. Sefilyan recalled that thousands
of Armenians and diasporan Armenians went to Artsakh to defend it and
called them to come to Yerevan on April 24 and participate in the
Founding Parliament’s fight, which calls for removal of the ruling
authorities. He refused to answer as to exactly what measures would
be used to reach their goal before April 24, he only stressed that
their activities would not disturb Genocide commemorations.

From: Baghdasarian

PROTESTING MOTHER OF DEAD SOLDIER FAINTED AFTER POLICE AGGRESSION

02.11.2015 17:29 epress.am

Today, at around 1:40 PM the parents of soldiers who died during
peacetime were subject to violence by police in front of the
Presidential Palace.

The protest participants wished to be informed as to why their letter
addressed to the President sent on November 27 was left unanswered
by the Presidential Palace. At the beginning of the protest the
parents were standing in front of the presidential gates when police
demanded they move across the street. “Our patience has a limit,”
said a police officer.

When the parents refused to meet the demand, one of the police officers
ordered a barricade to be formed. The police called each other to
rush and began pushing the parents. The police officers held Gohar
Sargsyan, the mother of soldier Tigran Ohanjanyan who died in 2007,
by her feet and arms and moved her across the street. Gohar Sargsyan’s
husband Suren Ohanjanyan, who was laying on the ground as a sign of
protest, was also carried across the street.

After police violently moved Gohar Sargsyan, the latter’s blood
pressure had skyrocketed and she fainted. The police called an
ambulance. Sargsyan received medical treatment; her clothes and shoes
were damaged as a result of the police actions.

Members of the Ombudsman office’s quick response team led by Rafael
Poghosyan arrived on the scene. The eyewitnesses present during the
incident explained what had happened.

The representatives of the Ombudsman’s office asked for clarifications
from the police coordinator Arabkir deputy department head Gagik
Hakobyan, who said that the Presidential Palace is a specially
protected zone and demonstrations in front of it are not allowed.

The parents stressed that they have held multiple protests in front
of the Presidential Palace before. They are ready to go to court in
relation to the actions of the police.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SEFILYAN: AUTOMOBILE MARCH TOWARDS KARABAKH AIMED TO RAISE AWARENESS, NOT CREATE TENSIONS

POLITICS | 11.02.15 | 15:53

Alina Nikoghosyan
ArmeniaNow intern

Despite opinions that the plans of a radical opposition group, Founding
Parliament, to stage an automobile march towards Nagorno-Karabakh
was aimed at creating tensions there, leader of the movement seeking
a change of regime in Armenia before the “Centennial of the Armenian
Genocide” Zhirayr Sefilyan insists on the opposite, emphasizing that
their aim was to keep Karabakh residents “aware” of their campaign.

On January 31, dozens of Founding Parliament activists took part
in the march as part of their campaigns. They were met by Karabakh
police and plainclothes men on the Goris-Stepanakert highway near
Berdzor and were turned away. A number of activists were beaten up
and about two dozen of their vehicles were damaged.

“We were not going to Artsakh for no reason, as we evaluate the
situation very critical, we could not but go and tell the people
about our concerns, especially after Armenia became a member of the
Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) Artsakh completely appeared in the air,
in an indefinite status, and if we do not point at the danger from
today on and if the people are not aware of the danger, we will lose
Artsakh,” Sefilyan, one of the prominent veterans of the Karabakh war,
told reporters Wednesday, on his first public appearance since the
day of the incident in which he was among those activists who were
injured in the violence.

The Founding Parliament spread a statement, urging the public to take
to the streets on April 24 and win over the regime. On the same day,
April 24, Armenians in Yerevan and elsewhere in Armenia and abroad
will be marking the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

“That day we invite everyone to the street with an aim to not return
home until we get rid of the regime. There were misunderstandings
regarding that day, many think that we will be trying to confuse
people, that is not true, we will take part in the ceremonies as well,
but we will not be satisfied with that only, we will start a process
which will enable us to get rid of this system,” Sefilyan said.

Sefilyan expressed confidence that in the near future Armenia will
finally get rid of today’s government and it will be replaced by
“clever and young forces”.

ARMENIA USES NOT ALL OPPORTUNITIES IN COOPERATION WITH IRAN

YEREVAN, February 11. /ARKA/. Armenia doesn’t use all the opportunities
of economic cooperation with Iran, Armen Martirosyan, an MP from
Heritage opposition party, said Wednesday at a news conference.

He thinks the Armenian authorities don’t use economic capacity to its
full extent – they are only negotiating over construction of Meghri
Hydro Power Plant and Iran-Armenia railway, but both projects are
unlikely to be put into reality.

Martirosyan said.

He pointed out struggle against terrorism as another ground for
cooperation.

The opposition lawmaker also finds it important to develop relations
with Iraqi Kurdistan.

he said.

Relations between the two countries are quite friendly. Yerevan and
Tehran intend to build two hydro power plants on Arax River. Each of
these power plants is planned to generate 793 million kilowatt/hour
electric power every year.

Armenian and Iranian authorities were considering ways for construction
of a joint oil pipeline and a refinery, but the negotiations over
the matter were suspended.

The countries are also discussing an idea of construction of
North-South (Iran-Armenia) railway, which will be an alternative
transportation link for Armenia opening anot

EGYPT REACHES FREE TRADE AGREEMENT WITH EURASIAN ECONOMIC UNION

18:11, 10 Feb 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Egypt has reached a free trade zone agreement with the Eurasian
Economic Union (EEU), Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi said
Tuesday, RIA Novosti reports.

“We have reached an agreement to establish a free trade zone between
Egypt and the Eurasian Economic Union,” Sisi said.

There was more than $4.5 billion of trade between Russia and Egypt
in 2014, a more than 80 percent increase on the year before, said
President Putin.

FELIX STURM WANTS TO FIGHT AGAINST ARTHUR ABRAHAM FOR IBF TITLE

12:58, 10 Feb 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Former IBF/WBA middleweight champion Felix Sturm has reportedly turned
down a clash with #1 IBF Hassan N’Dam for the vacant IBF middleweight
title, according to Fightnews. Instead of Sturm fighting N’Dam for
Jermain Taylor’s former IBF title, Sturm will be moving up in weight
to the 168 pound division to try and get an all-German fight against
WBO 168 pound champion Arthur Abraham, boxingnews24.com reports.

Abraham will first have a rematch against Paul Smith on February 21
in Berlin.

That fight makes sense because Abraham has already had three fights in
a short period of time against popular German fighter Robert Stieglitz,
and if he can get a fight against Sturm, then Abraham can be another
German fighter to face.

“I will not fight at middleweight !!! That time is over,” Sturm said
on his twitter.

ENQUIRY TO ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES MINISTRY: WHICH SHPPS IN ZANGEZOUR BIOSPHERIC COMPLEX WERE FUNDED?

14:17 February 09, 2015

EcoLur

Arthur Ghazaryan, Chairman of Kapan-based “Union of Employees’ Rights
Protection” NGO has addressed an open enquiry to Energy and Natural
Resources Minister Yervand Zakharyan, which says, “In the frames of
“Support to Renewable Energy” KfW German Bank grants loans to the
construction of SHPPs. In 2012 KfW Bank granted loan of US $ 40
million. We would like to ask you to provide us information as follows:

· In the frames of “Support to Renewable Energy” which companies and
which SHPPs were funded in “Zangezour” biospheric complex established
in SyunikRegion and adjacent areas?

· What extent of KfW funds have been spent on financing SHPP
construction since 2004?

· We would like to ask you to provide us the documentation signed
between German KfW Bank and Energy and Natural Resources Ministry
relating to “Support to Renewable Energy” program.

· What are the conditions of licenses issued to SHPPs located within
mine and adjacent areas?