Author: Babajanian Karo

ANOTHER PRICE INCREASE IN ARMENIA
Susanna Petrosyan

Vestnik Kavkaza
June 13 2012
Russia

The dramatic increase of dollar at the local currency market became one
of the most discussed themes in recent weeks in Armenia. During last
few days dollar went up by 1.3 points (0.56%) and costs 411.03 drams.

The course began to change in the beginning of 2012, by April dollar
reached 386.15-392.16 drams, i.e. by 1.5%. In May dram devalued by
3.5%. The dynamics caused panic at the currency market and among
the population.

The Armenia Central Bank Council registered that deepening of
uncertainty in decisions on debt problems in the EU caused dramatic
going-up of dollar toward currencies of basic partners of Armenia –
the European Union and Russia. It reflected on the currency market
of Armenia negatively.

Many experts believe that swing of currencies is normal. There are
two reasons for this: increase of demand on dollars at the internal
market, and oil price fluctuations.

Moreover, volumes of private transfers influence seriously the exchange
course of dram. The role of private transfers is great in the Armenian
economy. It concerns millions dollars. According to the former premier
Grant Bagratyan, the dynamics of transfers changes from month to month,
depending on inflows and outflows of labor migrants.

However, some experts believe that dollar going-up has positive sides
too. Those citizens who have dollar savings are in benefit.

Furthermore, devaluation of the national currency causes export
increase. Stabilization of dram can follow tourism season in Armenia,
when tourists will exchange their currency into drams.

Nevertheless, considering the fact that Armenia is mainly an importer,
dollar course increase will lead to price increase: “Devaluation of
dram will cause damage to the import sector first of all, because
imported products’ prices will increase,” the chairman of the
Republican Employers Union of Armenia, Gagik Makaryan, thinks.

Vaagan Khachatryan, an expert on economics, notes that the state
budget of Armenia presupposes 378.96 drams for one dollar, while
today dollar costs 410-413 drams: “Serious problems will appear
in local industry. In next 15_20 days prices will go up and local
producers will have no resources to cover production expenses. We
should impulse the Armenian economy artificially, but no steps are
being made at the moment. The Armenian economy needs investment. The
only way out is to establish beneficial conditions for investments,
but we have to big taxes.”

Specialists are skeptical about return of dollar course at the previous
level: “Experience shows that after going-up of dollar, there is no
significant devaluation of it,” the economic expert Aik Mnatsakanyan
believes. Many experts predict further dollar course increase.

OSCE CONCERNED ABOUT INCIDENT ON ARMENIAN-AZERBAIJANI TROOPS’ CONTACT LINE

Vestnik Kavkaza
June 13 2012
Russia

The OSCE is concerned about the recent incident on the
contact line between Armenian and Azerbaijani troops, the OSCE
Chairperson-in-Office, Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister
for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Eamon Gilmore, told reporters in Baku
on Wednesday, Trend informs.

“I am and the OSCE is concerned about recent incidents on the contact
line between Armenian and Azerbaijani troops. There is no retaliation
and I would like to see an investigation mechanism put in place
through which the OSCE will look at the activities when they occur,”
Gilmore said. “Ultimately, we would want to achieve this and I hope
that this will contribute to a peaceful and negotiated resolution of
the conflict.”

MAYOR OF JERMUK – GEOTEAM: JERMUK RESIDENTS PREFER TOURISM TO MINING INDUSTRY

arminfo
Wednesday, June 13, 20:08

Mayor of Jermuk Vardan Hovhannisyan has sent an open letter to Geoteam,
a company planning to develop the Amulsar gold mine.

“We urge you not to distract the public from the damage mining causes
to the environment and human health and to inform the local population
and experts about your activities and ensuing risks,” the Mayor says,
noting that Geoteam’s risk assessments are deficient and skin-deep,
with very little said about the impact rock blasting at Amulsar may
cause to Jermuk’s mineral spring system.

“Hence, we insist that the Nature Protection Ministry recognize Jermuk
as a community that may be damaged by the Amulsar project. In the last
five years we have invested over 4bln AMD in our city. We are building
two big hotels. Mining activities just 12 km away from us cannot be
affect the city’s image. We are facing a choice: tourism or mining.

Our people opts for tourism,” the Mayor of Jermuk said.

This year Geoteam is planning to invest $52mln in the mine. Amulsar is
believed to have over 40 tons of gold. Among the shareholders of the
owner of Geoteam, Lydian International, are IFC and EBRD. So, experts
expect that the environmental risks of the project will be considered.

RA NA PRESIDENT RECEIVES THE AMBASSADOR OF KUWAIT

13.06.2012

On June 13 the RA NA President Hovik Abrahamyan received the
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the State of Kuwait
to the RA Bassam Muhammad al-Kabandini.

Welcoming the Ambassador the NA President noted that Armenia
paid importance to the development of relations with the Gulf
Arab countries. Hovik Abrahamyan highlighted the cooperation with
Kuwait in different spheres, the activation of relations between
the parliaments of the two countries, and the partnership in
international parliamentary structures. The NA President noted that
in the newly elected Armenian Parliament Armenia-Kuwait Parliamentary
Friendship Group had already been shaped, and the head of it was
Arayik Hovhannisyan.

The Ambassador conveyed the congratulations and good wishes of
the President of the Parliament of Kuwait Ahmed al-Saadun to Hovik
Abrahamyan on being re-elected in the NA President~Rs post, as well as
the invitation of the official visit to Kuwait, noting that the visit
would greatly contribute to the development of friendly relations of
the two countries and the activation of inter-parliamentary relations.

Bassam Muhammad al-Kabandini underlined that his country gave
importance to the development of partnership with Armenia in all
directions and noted that his mission would be to promote the
development and reinforcement of the relations between Armenia
and Kuwait at best. To the Ambassador~Rs conviction, with respect
to the deepening of inner-state relations the development of
inter-parliamentary relations is of big importance.

During the meeting other issues of the development of the relations
of the two countries were also discussed.

BAGIS BELIEVES HIMSELF IN POSITION TO DICTATE FRANCE’S POLICY ON KARABAKH, GENOCIDE

PanARMENIAN.Net
June 13, 2012 – 18:05 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Russian’s and France’s efforts in Nagorno Karabakh
conflict settlement in the framework of OSCE Minsk Group have yielded
no results, Turkish Minister for EU affairs said.

“For this reason, Turkey hopes France will intensify its role in
conflict resolution, Egemen Bagis said.

Turkish Minister stressed the need for France to “address the issues
of Karabakh settlement and Azerbaijani refugees’ fate instead of that
of the Armenian Genocide.”

Sources say that 21-25 Azerbaijani soldiers were killed in Azeri
subversive actions in recent days in Tavush- Ghazakh zone of
Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

Azerbaijani authorities try hard to concoct reasons behind the
deaths and injuries on its side. In fact, these are saboteurs,
killed or wounded by Armenian armed forces who were trying to hinder
Azeri subversive acts. Thus, according to Azerbaijani authorities,
Azeri soldiers commit mass suicides, get blown up by mine, and die
in an accident.

On January 23, the French Senate passed the bill criminalizing the
Armenian Genocide. The bill envisaged imposing a 45,000 euro fine and
a year in prison for anyone in France who denies this crime against
humanity committed by the Ottoman Empire.

Later, the French Constitutional Council ruled that a bill adopted
by the French Senate making it a crime to deny the Armenian Genocide
was anti-constitutional.

In a statement the Council said the bill adopted by parliament on
January 23 represented an “unconstitutional breach of the practice
of freedom of expression and communication.” Turkey reacted furiously
when the Senate approved the law. Ankara halted political and military
cooperation with France and was threatening to cut off economic and
cultural ties if the law took effect.

Immediately after French Constitutional Council ruling, the then
President Nicolas Sarkozy instructed the government to submit a new
draft law punishing the denial of the Armenian Genocide.

AWARD CEREMONY OF THE 8TH ARAM KHACHATURIAN INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION TONIGHT

armradio.am
13.06.2012 17:44

The award ceremony and gala concert of the 8th Aram Khachaturian
International Competition will take place at the Aram Khachaturian
Concert Hall today.

The State Youth Orchestra of Armenia headed by artistic director and
principal conductor Sergey Smbatyan will perform during the concert.

The winner of the 8th Aram Khachaturian International Competition
will be the soloist.

ARMENPRESS WEB SITE WORK RESTORED

ARMENPRESS
13 June, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, JUNE 13, ARMENPRESS: The work of “Armenpress” Armenian news
website agency is restored.

The agency learnt about the hacker attack on June 13 night and
informed the enforcement bodies. Armenpress staff continues its work:
the agency’s customers receive the news with its full volume.

Thanks to the efforts of Armenpress IT specialists the security
of agency has been intensified: currently works are carried out to
determine the reasons of hacker attack.

“Armenpress” expresses gratitude to its colleagues for the support
and condemns any kind of hacker attack, qualifying it as a crime in
all respects.

SHAHUMYAN AND GETASHEN FELL ON THESE DAYS: 21,000 PEOPLE MIGRATED

14:37 . 13/06

The population of 21,000 of Shahumayn region and of Getashen
sub-region was forcibly displaced by Azerbaijani bandits 20 years ago
and 21 years ago, respectively. 18 Armenian villages of northern
Artsakh were occupied by the enemy and still remain occupied by the
Azerbaijani armed forces.

Now already casting a sober look at the history, the specialists note:
there has been a period when Azerbaijan’s forces exceeded ours. In
June 1992, when the enemy launched a large-scale attack on Shahumyan
region, there was no enough military equipment for defense. The deputy
head of the Literature Institute Vardan Devrikyan states: under the
threat of weapon and death the population migrated from their homeland
and spread all over the world.

“Shahumyan’s fall was a blunt blow and very few people can know the
real reason, or maybe it was a special conspiracy, a global political
issue. In any case, it was noticed with a naked eye the enemy had
advantage at that moment in terms of military equipment and our
defense system had exhausted itself in a sense. And it is not casual
that a transfer took place from the detachment system to a defense
army after Shahumyan’s fall,” Devrikyan said.

“Especially the churches and the cemeteries are viewed as kinds of
monuments which more acutely prove the Armenian origin and they are
becoming a target for destroying. In Shahumyan region there are
several bridges and fountains, which they don’t destroy. They just get
rid of the construction minutes and continue to make use of the
fountains or the bridges built by Armenians,” monument specialist
Samvel Karapetyan said.

YEREVAN-AMMAN NEW FLIGHT HAS BEEN OPENED

ARMENPRESS
14 June, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, JUNE 14, ARMENPRESS: “Armavia” company continues to implement
the policy of expanding the geography of the flights. The best proof
of it is the fact that on June 13 the frist flight from Yerevan to
the capital of Jordan Amman was implemented. The first passengers od
the flight became the owner of “Armavia” company Michael Baghdasarov,
journalists as well as passengers who had waited for a long time to
the opening of this flight. Armenpress reports that the flight was
implemented by “Boeing 737” plane which was named after famous Armenian
painter Hovhaness Aivazovsky. One of the passengers Garnik Avagyan
was going to visit his daughter. He stressed the importance of the
flight because due to it he would be able to visit his daughter not
once in three or four years but more frequently: the direct flight is
cheaper and faster. Michael Baghdasarov told journalists that before
opening the flight he had studied the field and highly estimated
its necessity. “We are sure that it will be very good for Armenian
tourists will be opened with their whole beauty Amman and Red sea”
he said. Michael Baghdasarov mentioned that steps must be implemented
in order to increase the cooperation. “It will be comfortable to
visit Amman not only in summer but in spring and autumn as it is warm
here. I am sure that everyone will enjoy it” he said.

There will be one flight during the week – on Wednesdays, but it
is not excluded that in future it can be implemented twice or three
timed a week.

HEATED MEETING WITH ARMENIA’S PARLIAMENT CHAIRMAN – NEWSPAPER

NEWS.AM
June 14, 2012 | 06:53

YEREVAN. – Wednesday’s meeting between Armenian National Assembly
(NA) Speaker Hovik Abrahamyan and NA Faction leaders was very heated,
and the ARF Dashnaktsutyun Party played the part of the main opponent,
Hraparak daily writes.

“[ARF Faction leader] Armen Rustamyan complained that [the ruling
Republican Party] RPA violated the NA Rules of Procedure yet again and
formed twelve standing committees instead of ten. ‘Twelve committees
mean twelve [service] cars, that many salaries, secretaries, etc.

Hovik Abrahamyan objected to Rustamyan: ‘You have one deputy
chairperson of committee.’ ‘It would have been better if we had not,”
chafed Armen Rustamyan. ‘The RPA has two more committee chairpersons.’

Rustamyan’s next complaint was about the violation of the NA Rules
of Procedure. The factions received the decision on the list of the
members of the standing committees, when the committee deputies are
not yet selected.

‘Either change the statute, or the decision,’ demanded Rustamyan.

“Then, we’ll change it,” said Abrahamyan,” Hraparak writes.