Author: Babajanian Karo

PROSPEROUS ARMENIA REP. CONFIRMS TSARUKYAN AS PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE

PanARMENIAN.Net
October 26, 2012 – 15:51 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Prosperous Armenia will nominate leader Gagik
Tsarukyan for the upcoming presidential elections, the party’s
parliamentary group member said.

“Signing of a no new coalition memorandum has been discussed,” Naira
Zohrabyan said.

Dwelling on the discussions on the memorandum, Prosperous Armenia
MP Vahe Hovhannisyan said, “The document has no relation to the
present, after our party resolved against joining the ruling political
coalition.”

ARMENIAN EX-FM CRITICAL OF GOVERNMENT’S ECONOMIC POLICY

tert.am
25.10.12

On his Facebook page, Armenia’s ex-FM, MP of the Prosperous Armenia
Party (PAP) Vartan Oskanian once again criticized the Armenian
government in the context of the bill on minimum monthly wages.

By 65 to seven, with 25 abstentions, Armenia’s parliament approved
in Thursday the bill on the minimum monthly wages in its first reading.

The bill envisages an increase in the minimum monthly wages from AMD
32,500 (about $81) up to AMD 35,000 (about $89).

Oskanian proposes four steps the government should take.

Naturally, the PAP parliamentary group abstained from voting for
the reason that even this small increase can be of benefit to many
citizens. In its 5-year program the government promises to double
the minimum monthly wages. It is easy to see when the minimum monthly
wages will reach AMD 65,000, Oskanian writes.

The debate and further voting show the reality: despite the fact
that the government’s previous 5-year program failed, it does not
show any will to reform its economic policy.

Evidence thereof is not only the attempt to raise the minimum monthly
wages by only AMD 2,500 (about $6), but also the serious discussions
of amendments to Armenia’s tax law, which envisage a rise in income
tax from 20 up to 30 percent. Moreover, the government rejects the
bill proposed by the PAP and other opposition forces. However, if
approved the bills would stimulate facilitate Armenia’s economy.

Oskanian remains of the opinion that the Armenian government’s program
is the main cause of the current economic situation in Armenia.

First, the government must relinquish its objectives, such as curbing
inflation at any cost and executing the budget. The government must
focus on ensuring economic growth, creation of jobs and raising the
living standards.

Secondly, the government should direct funds to stimulate the demand
rather than supply, which is the only means of facilitating economic
growth.

Thirdly, the current economic situation necessitates the government’s
implementing an expansive credit and fiscal policy rather than a
moderate policy, which was implemented in previous years.

Finally, it is time for the government to consider the criticism voiced
at the highest level and be determined to implement radical reforms –
first of all in tax administration – to lead the country out of the
grave economic situation, Oskanian writes.

PRIME MINISTER’S CONGRATULATORY MESSAGE ON REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA PEOPLE’S ARTIST SOS SARGSYAN’S BIRTHDAY ANNIVERSARY

Wednesday, 24 October 2012

Please accept my heartfelt congratulations on your 83rd birthday
anniversary. A man is said to be esteemed not for the years lived,
but for wisdom.

Dear Master, each year you have lived with us in a bright point in
our nation’s history, full of depth and wisdom: I would like to avoid
the official forms and thank you deeply for the trace that you have
left on my generation.

As I was young, I tried not to miss a single performance of yours. As
early as 10-15 days before the premiere we were aware that our beloved
Sos was going to appear on the stage and we just tried to get tickets
for the upcoming performance.

Also, I want to congratulate the birthday anniversary of Sos Sargsyan
the intellectual, the citizen of the Republic of Armenia. Many
political figures and statesmen have learned good lessons from you.

Dear Master, I wish you robust health, family warmth and creative
energy.

SERZH SARGSYAN HOSTED IRANIAN ENERGY MINISTER MAJID NAMJOO

ARMENPRESS
OCTOBER 25, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 25, ARMENPRESS: Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan
hosted the delegation of Energy Ministry of Iranian Islamic Republic
led by Majid Namjoo, Iranian Energy Minister and Co-Chair of
Armenian-Iranian joint intergovernmental council.

As Armenpress was informed from the presidential press service,
President greeted the delegation and its leader who visited
Armenia for participating in the sitting of Armenian-Iranian joint
intergovernmental council and underlined that he truly believed that
the delegation had a great role in the development of political,
cultural and economic ties. Serzh Sargsyan has noted that Armenia is
interested in deepening and strengthening relations with it neighboring
state, which in its turn will stimulate the upgrowth of the trade
which is of bilateral interest.

Head of the country gladly noted the fact that Armenian-Iranian
economic relations are going forward and one of the evidences is the
founding of Meghri Hydroelectric power station.

Majid Namjoo, Iranian Energy Minister and Co-Chair of Armenian-Iranian
joint intergovernmental council expressed his gratitude over the
warm reception and noted that the Yerevan sitting of the council
had succeeded.

Interlocutors stressed the importance of the cooperation especially in
the energy sector. Iranian Minister assured that being the Co-Chair
of Armenian-Iranian joint intergovernmental council he would spare
no effort to promote the development of the agreements made on the
presidential level.

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RELATIONS BETWEEN ARMENIA’S SECOND PRESIDENT AND PARTY LEADER HAVE GONE SOUR? – NEWSPAPER

news.am
October 26, 2012 | 07:16

YEREVAN. – Rumors are being spread in the backstage of the Government
with respect to the deteriorating relations between Prosperous
Armenia Party (PAP) Chairman Gagik Tsarukyan and his “godfather,”
second President Robert Kocharyan, Hraparak daily writes.

“According to them [that is, the rumors], Kocharyan and Tsarukyan
have had a tough conversation concerning the PAP’s stand in the
[forthcoming] presidential elections. Kocharyan demanded [Tsarukyan]
to support [former FM and PAP MP] Vartan Oskanian’s candidacy. [But]
On the other hand, there is [also] a demand [imposed upon Tsarukyan]
to support [serving] President Serzh Sargsyan [in the elections].

Tsarukyan has not yet made a decision. [But] The propaganda machine
has been put into use to impose a decision. According to the news,
reminders could be made soon with respect to Tsarukyan’s role in some
matters. [And] Perhaps, this is the reason why the PAP and Kocharyan
propaganda tools are slowly separating, and this forces the PAP to
launch the creation of new media resources,” Hraparak writes.

HOSTILITY WITH NEIGHBORS HAMPERS TURKEY’S EU EFFORTS – ORIENTALIST

tert.am
26.10.12

With its hostile policies towards neighbors, Turkey will never join
the European Union, according to an Armenian orientalist.

At a news conference on Friday, Vahram Ter-Matevosyan, a senior
researcher at the National Academy’s Institute of Oriental Studies,
said the number of the EU member states which back Turkey’s EU efforts
has dropped from 80% in 2005 to 45% now.

“The decline is linked, first of all, to Turkey’s domestic problems.

Turkey is little by little turning into a nationalistic society. It
is very sensitive to any country’s criticism,” he said, adding that
everything depends upon Turkey itself.

Referring to EU’s October 10 annual report, the expert said that it
reflected Armenia’s regress, with the Armenia-Turkey wording (used
in the 2000-2009 reports) being replaced with the phrase ‘no progress
in the Armenia-Turkey relations’.

“It is necessary to return the previous wording and mention that
Turkey has closed the border. It is necessary, beginning from next
year, to specify in the report that Turkey pursues the same policies
in relation to the Genocide recognition, failing to take any action
to protect the Armenian heritage on its territory,” he added.

Speaking of the report, Ter-Matevosyan said it has made its first
ever mention of the crypto-Armenians in Turkey.

“The European Commission realizes very well what is actually going on
in Turkey. Turkey’s ruling party held its congress on September 30. It
signaled that Mehmed Ali Shahin, who is considered [Recep Tayyip]
Erdogan’s true co-thinker, is going to be the next premier,” he said.

ANC UNCOVERS SECRET DEAL:LEVON ZURABYAN

2012-10-26 13:42:08

ANC revealed the deal on gas supply from Russia, which was being
kept secret by the Government, ANC alliance head Levon Zurabyan told
reporter at today’s briefing in NA.

According to the latter, the Government has made up a decision to
sell its 20% share for AMD 63 billion. “We consider this a criminal
decision, as it was the last pack, the last share, that Armenia had
with ARG, and that share was giving serious control possibilities
to our country. In fact, Armenia is deprived of its lever of utmost
importance. We have nothing to sell after that,” Zurabyan said.

In his conviction, it’s done only for one purpose, “to stretch till
presidential elections, after which gas price will soar and that
disastrous rise will occur. The Government kept this secret out of
political appropriateness,” head of ANC alliance said.

REAL SINNERS OF CONSTRUCTION COLLAPSE ON KHANJYAN STREET

2012-10-26 13:26:20

Day by day new facilities, amusement centers, cafes come to substitute
green areas.

Another likewise amusement facility was to become the one, which
collapsed on Khajyan Street next to JOSE restaurant complex, second
floor of which collapsed yesterday.

A few hours after the collapse occurred, Yerevan City Municipality
press department informed that the construction site on Khanjyan 20
was illegal.

According to Municipality, an open-air cafe was to be constructed
there. It found out that construction wasn’t over in the date which
was appointed and, in connection of which protocol was drown up and by
the decision of Municipality AMD 2 million fine was imposed. After
the protocol was made, construction works were suspended and to
restart them permission was needed. Thus, they didn’t have the right
to continue construction.

Despite the consequence, that Municipality declares that the
construction is illegal, one thing is obvious – it’s impossible to
launch construction works without the knowledge of Municipality.

Today, even in the suburbs of the city illegal constructions
belonging to a multi-family are being collapsed. In this case, it’s
incomprehensible, how Yerevan’s Municipality and head of Department
of Urban and Land Control Hayk Asatryan and the whole staff failed to
‘notice’ construction of an illegal tall facility in the center of
the city.

Who are the real sinners of the collapse? What’s the part of guilt
of Municipality? ….conclusions up to the reader.

Note, rescuers took out 9 people under the debris. Doctors say health
condition of 4 people is critical, fortunately there are no victims.

Gayane Hambardzumyan

GOVERNMENT RAISES MINIMUM WAGE BY $6, OPPOSITION CALLS SUCH RISE “MOCKERY”
By Naira Hayrumyan

ArmeniaNow
26.10.12

The Armenian parliament on Thursday passed in the first reading a
bill amending the law “On the minimum monthly salary.”

Under the new legislation, from January 1, 2013 the minimum wage will
be 35,000 drams (about $86) per month instead of the current 32,500
drams (a rise by about $6).

Only 65 members of the 131-seat body (all representing the two
coalition parties) voted for the legislation, with seven voting against
it and 25 members abstaining. Almost all factions of the parliament
said that a rise by 2,500 drams will not change anything in the wallets
of citizens, even though Minister of Finance Vache Gabrielyan said
that this money still would count in people’s “consumer basket”.

Opposition Heritage faction leader Ruben Hakobyan said that even with
this increase the minimum wage would still be nearly half as much
as the subsistence wage without inflation pressures considered. Head
of the opposition Armenian National Congress’s faction in parliament
Levon Zurabyan said that they’d vote against the bill: “Our faction
presented a bill to raise the salary to 72,500 (about $180). The bill
proposed by the government is a mockery of the people.”

Secretary of the Heritage faction Zaruhi Postanjyan also said that
such a raise was “humiliating”. “Our citizens have pride. The minimum
wage should be at least 60,000 drams (about $148),” she said.

Armenian Revolutionary Federation MP Artsvik Minasyan reminded that
his faction had suggested determining the minimum wage in accordance
with the law on the state budget, linking its size to inflation, the
minimum consumer basket and the average wage. However, the government
and the parliament rejected the proposal.

Head of the ruling Republican Party’s parliamentary faction Galust
Sahakyan said that “you can’t, of course, live off 35,000 drams” and
that it would be better if the salary was different. “If our opponents
vote against it, they’d vote for the salary to remain at the current
level, if they vote for it, this is something intolerable for the
opposition,” he said. He, at the same time, noted that if the ruling
party gives in and accepts the opposition’s proposal to double the
minimum wage, it will also have to bear the responsibility for that.

The average monthly salary in Armenia estimated for August 2012 was
121,065 drams (about $295), which was 4.1 percent lower than in July.

Wages in August 2012 as compared to August 2011 increased by 6.6
percent.

However, low wages apparently become an obstacle to economic
development. Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan said during a government
meeting on Thursday that Armenia has encountered “structural
unemployment”.

“The sphere of information technologies sets this problem to us… It
turns out that activities in the sphere are imperiled because of a
shortage of specialists. The industry is growing by 15-20 percent a
year, the number of enterprises has reached 300, and we still have
few specialists,” said Sargsyan.

“They can’t find workers even for 5,000-7,000 drams (about $12-17)
a day. There is a shortage of workforce in the chemical industry,
in town halls,” said the head of the Armenian government.

Mayor of Yerevan Taron Margaryan also said that the transport company
at the City Hall as well as the gardening and sanitation department
at the municipality also need at least 300 employees. The average
salary in such jobs, as Margaryan said, is 80,000 drams (about $200).

Prime Minister Sargsyan instructed the economy minister to conduct
an analysis and make job cuts increasing productivity and wages.

EN VISITE A MEXICO, EDOUARD NALBANDIAN CRITIQUE UN VOTE PRO-AZERI DU SENAT MEXICAIN
Gari

armenews.com
vendredi 26 octobre 2012

En visite officiaelle a Mexico, le ministre armenien des affaires
etrangères Edouard Nalbandian a critique mardi 23 octobre l’adoption
par le Senat mexicain d’une resolution favorable a l’Azerbaïdjan et
exprime sa reprobation concernant l’erection dernièrement dans la
capitale du Mexique d’une statue du dictateur azerbaïdjanais Haydar
Aliyev. Lors d’une rencontre avec son homologue mexicaine Patricia
Espinosa, M. Nalbandian a exprime son mecontentement concernant
le vote par la precedente legislature mexicaine d’une resolution
presentant une approche tronquee du conflit du Haut-Karabagh. Il y a
quelques mois, le Senat mexicain avait en effet adopte une resolution
commemorant les evenements de Khojaly et en les qualifiant de fait de
genocide. M. Nalbanian a souligne que de telles resolutions entraient
ouvertement en contradiction avec la position de la communaute
internationale et tendaient a contrarier le processus en cours de
règlement du conflit. Le chef de la diplomatie armenienne a ajoute
que de telles mesures ont des incidences sur la securite regionale
et nuisent aux relations bilaterales entre l’Armenie et le Mexique.

M. Nalbandian a aussi exprime son mecontentement concernant le
memorial de Khojaly et la statue d’Aliyev, dont l’inauguration
avaient d’ailleurs suscite l’indignation des associations mexicaines
de defense des droits de l’homme. Celles-ci avaient interpele les
autorites mexicaines a ce sujet. M. Nalbandian a fait savoir a Mme
Espinosa qu’il joignait sa voix a celle des associations mexicaines
de defense des droits de l’homme pour denoncer ces statues comme une
insulte a la memoire des victimes de genocide ; il a ajoute qu’il
s’associait bien sûr a la reaction de la communaute internationale,
qui avait denonce l’erection d’une statue en l’honneur du president
Aliev dans la capitale mexicaine. Selon le service de presse du
ministère armenien des affaires etrangères, Mme Espinosa a foruni des
explications et des clarifications sur ce point, en reconnaissant le
caractère outrageant de ces statues et en comprenant l’indignation
qu’elles avaient suscitee. On ne precise toutefois pas si le
gouvernement mexicain envisage des mesures en vue de reparer cet
” outrage “. Au cours des entretiens, M. Nalbandian a informe son
homologue mexicaine des derniers developpements du processus de paix
au Haut-Karabagh. Mme Espinosa a apporte son soutien a un règlement
pacifique du conflit sous l’egide du Groupe de Minsk de l’OSCE.